Freezing Reign
by Quotemaster2000
Summary: All is well as Arendelle celebrates the wedding of Princess Anna and Kristoff. But when a new threat emerges, can Queen Elsa find the courage to defend her throne and save her sister?
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful summer morning and all was well in the land of Arendelle. Colorful banners and flowers decorated the city, and the harbor was filled with ships from lands near and far. Not since Queen Elsa's coronation had Arendelle seen such excitement. Even then, there hadn't been nearly as many visitors in Arendelle as there were now. Arendelle was a small kingdom that had kept itself isolated for years, and the young queen had been greeted mostly by minor representatives from nearby trading partners. But now, tales of the events that followed her coronation had spread across the globe, and Queen Elsa's reputation was known far and wide. Leaders from all over the world wanted an opportunity to gain favor with Arendelle and its powerful ruler, and they all recognized the upcoming opportunity. After all, the wedding of a princess was a particularly momentous occasion.

Inside the castle, Gerda was helping Princess Anna get dressed. Behind the privacy screen in her bedroom, Anna was fidgeting with nervous excitement.

"Your Highness, please hold still," Gerda said, as she tightened the laces of the bodice on Anna's white dress.

"But it's my wedding day!" Anna exclaimed. "How am I supposed to stay still when I'm so excited?"

"I know you're excited, but the more you move, the longer this will take."

Suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Anna asked playfully.

"It's me," came Elsa's voice from the other side of the door.

"Did you put on the dress?"

"Yes, Anna."

"Get in here! I want to see!"

The door opened and Elsa stepped into the room wearing a sleek lavender gown. The off-the-shoulder dress was very much in Elsa's style, but it had no train and had traditional rosemaling subtly embroidered on the skirt. As Elsa closed the bedroom door behind her, Anna excitedly tried to run out from behind the room divider, but was pulled back by Gerda.

"I'm not finished with you yet, Your Highness," Gerda said, guiding Anna back to where she was standing. Undeterred, Anna peeked over the top of the divider.

"Ooh, I knew that dress would be perfect for you," Anna said. "Don't you just love it?"

"I'll admit it is very nice," Elsa said, looking down at the dress, "but I still don't see why I couldn't just wear one of my own dresses."

"Because it's my wedding, Elsa, and I want it to be special," Anna said. "After all, I'm only going to get married once. And, when you get married, I'll wear whatever you want me to."

"If I get married," Elsa said.

"Now, Your Majesty, don't say that," Gerda said. "You never know what might be in your future. I hear there are several eligible princes coming to the wedding."

"Is that what's expected of me?" Elsa asked defiantly. "Am I just supposed to marry the first handsome prince who comes along?"

"Of course not!" Gerda said. "That's not what I meant at all. I'm simply suggesting that you might like one of them if you don't have your mind made up before you've even met them."

"We didn't have to invite them," Anna offered.

"Yes we did, Anna." Elsa replied. "Arendelle has a lot to make up for after years of isolation. We need new allies and trading partners, and inviting them was a gesture of goodwill to help build those relationships. But that doesn't mean I'm looking for a husband!"

"Elsa, no one says you _have_ to marry anyone," Anna said. "But, the way I feel about Kristoff... I hope that someday you'll feel that way about someone. You just need to keep yourself open to new possibilities."

"You mean like the way you were open to marrying Hans?" Elsa asked cynically.

"That's not fair," Anna replied. "Although, if you think about it, if I hadn't agreed to marry Hans, I never would have met Kristoff."

"Yes, and aside from the part where Hans left you for dead and tried to kill me so he could take over Arendelle, it all worked out splendidly," Elsa said sarcastically.

"Well, it did!" Anna countered.

"Now, now, don't argue," Gerda said. "This is a happy day."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said with a sigh. "I understand what you're trying to tell me. Anna, I see what you and Kristoff have, and I'm not going to settle for anything less for myself."

"And we wouldn't want you to, Elsa," Anna replied. "But, we don't want you to miss out on it either."

"There," Gerda announced as she made the final adjustments to Anna's dress. "I'm finished."

Anna stepped out from behind the divider. Her white gown was trimmed with lavender ribbon that matched Elsa's dress. Elsa found herself unprepared for the sight of her sister in her wedding dress and simply stood in awe for a moment.

"What do you think?" Anna asked her sister.

"You look beautiful," Elsa eventually replied.

Suddenly the door burst open and a diminutive snowman burst in carrying a huge bouquet of purple crocuses that was almost bigger than he was.

"Olaf!" Anna exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"I got these flowers for your wedding!" Olaf said, handing over the bouquet to the princess. "It took me a long time. I had to search all over Arendelle to find them all!"

"They're beautiful, Olaf, thank you!" Anna said, struggling to hold up the large bouquet.

Kai appeared in the open doorway and gently knocked on the open door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Kai said, "but some of our more distinguished guests are arriving."

"Thank you, Kai," Elsa replied. She took a deep breath and turned to Anna. "I should go meet them."

"Good luck!" Anna said as Elsa followed Kai out of the room.

Kai led Elsa down the stairs and through the great hall, where the palace staff were setting up for the wedding ball.

"Are they going to be finished in time?" Elsa asked, looking around. "Do they need any help?"

"Everything is under control," Kai replied. "Everything will be ready."

"What about ice?" Elsa asked. "Do they have enough ice? I can make more."

"There's plenty of ice, Your Majesty," Kai said, gently guiding Elsa through the hall.

Elsa's eyes kept darting around the room, searching for an issue that demanded her attention. Finally, she focused on something and broke away from Kai.

"No, no, no, no, no, this is a disaster," she said, running toward a cart covered with floral centerpieces. Kai reluctantly followed her.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Kai asked.

"Look at these centerpieces!" Elsa exclaimed. "These arrangements are terrible. They're a mess." She started to rearrange the flowers. "These flowers aren't evenly arranged, and there are no purple crocuses. They have to have purple crocuses. It's the symbol of Arendelle."

"I'm sure the florist will fix them in time for the wedding," Kai said. "Now, come along, Your Majesty."

Kai led a reluctant Elsa away from the flower cart and toward the door. Elsa desperately looked back over her shoulder at the floral arrangements.

"But... the centerpieces..." she muttered as Kai led her out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa was not looking forward to welcoming guests for the wedding. Normally, this was a task she would delegate to Anna, who was always eager to meet new people. But with Anna occupied with wedding preparations, Elsa found she had little choice but to greet guests herself.

With the great hall being decorated for the wedding ball, Elsa had to greet visitors in the foyer, which really didn't matter to her, but it would make the formal royal introductions more difficult. There was already a visiting prince there waiting for her when she got there. Even Kai seemed surprised he was there.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Kai announced abruptly as he practically pushed Elsa ahead of him.

"Ah, Queen Elsa," the prince said with a bow. "I am Prince Lloyd of Prydain. It is an honor and a delight to meet you."

Prince Lloyd was a small, wiry man. Elsa might have mistaken him for a teenage boy if she didn't know he had to be older. Though he was dressed in some sort of militaristic uniform, Elsa very much doubted the fair-haired young man had seen any kind of action and she assumed he merely held an honorary position.

"Welcome to Arendelle, Prince Lloyd," Elsa replied. "It is nice to meet you as well."

"I must say, Your Majesty," Prince Lloyd said, "you are even more beautiful than I had dared to imagine."

"Oh, um, thank you," Elsa replied, caught off guard by the prince's confidence. "Have you been enjoying your visit so far?"

"Indeed. Your kingdom is magnificent and your subjects are kind and cheerful; a tribute to your benevolent rule."

Elsa could see through the excessive compliments but she still found herself being taken in by the flattery. Prince Lloyd seemed charming enough in his way. Elsa was optimistic that if the other princes were like him, she would be able to tolerate their visits.

Suddenly the castle doors burst open, and a large man swaggered in. His curly orange hair was tied back, but he also had a full untrimmed beard. He was dressed in green tartan, including a kilt, leaving no doubt in Elsa's mind where he was from.

"Greetings!" he exclaimed loudly in a Scottish accent. "I am Prince Hamish of Dunbroch."

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Elsa introduced herself.

"Your Majesty," Prince Hamish said with a bow, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Thank you," Elsa said. "Have you met Prince Lloyd of Prydain?"

"Aye, that I have, many times," Hamish replied. "Our kingdoms are actually quite near each other. Isn't that so, Laddie?"

"Yes, that's true," Lloyd said, his confidence having faded. "I've been to Dunbroch many times."

"Aye, the first time he came to Dunbroch," Hamish began, "I took him to see the Fire Falls, which is an incredible sight. You really should come and see it for yourself, Your Majesty. Anyway, on the way back to me castle, we come across a family o' bears blockin' the way."

"Bears?" Elsa said in surprise. "Oh my, whatever did you do?"

"Oh, bears are easy to handle if you know what you're doin'. Usually, they're more afraid o' you than you are o' them. But the cubs don't have any fear in 'em yet. One o' the wee ones scampered toward Lloyd 'ere, and he took off a'runnin. Almost climbed up a tree, he did."

"I certainly did not try to climb a tree," Lloyd protested, "but I think running was a perfectly reasonable reaction to being charged by a bear."

"Charged by a bear? T'was just a wee cub. Wouldn'a hurt a fly. Now the mother, she was somethin'. When she reared up on her hind legs she was so tall I couldn'a see the sun. She must've been twenty feet tall. Now, I had me bow and arrows, so I could have easily killed the beast, but it wouldn'a been right to leave those wee cubs without their mum. So, with just me staff and shield, I faced the monster and held it off long enough for the others to get away.

"Twenty feet tall, indeed," Prince Lloyd scoffed. "It was no more than half that. I swear that bear grows taller every time you tell that story."

"Aye, maybe so," Prince Hamish replied with a hearty laugh as he gave Prince Lloyd a slap on the back that nearly knocked the smaller man over. "But 'tis a grand story ne'ertheless."

"Now see here, Hamish," Lloyd said with annoyance. "There's no need to be so rough."

"Right you are, Laddie," Hamish replied. "'Tis no way to behave in front of a lady, much less a queen. My apologies, Your Majesty."

"Queen Elsa," interrupted Kai, who had regained control over the doors to the castle and was now able to properly introduce newcomers as they arrived, "May I present Prince Kiran of Maldonia."

"Welcome, Prince Kiran," Elsa said as the new visitor approached. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, to be in the presence of such radiant elegance," the dark-haired Prince Kiran replied in a vaguely French-sounding accent. "I have traveled a great distance for the joy of being in your company during this festive occasion."

"Why, thank you," Elsa replied.

"Yes, I can see it already. Fine food. Beautiful music." Kiran looked deep into Elsa's eyes as he continued. "Lovely company. It will be truly magical."

Elsa wasn't quite sure how to respond to Kiran, but fortunately Kai interrupted with the arrival of another visitor.

"Prince Amir of Agrabah," announced Kai.

"Queen Elsa, I have journeyed from afar to join you for this momentous celebration," Amir said.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to Arendelle, Prince Amir," Elsa replied.

"This is an exquisite castle, Your Majesty," Amir said.

"Thank you," Elsa said.

"Of course, it's nothing compared to my palace in Agrabah," Amir continued. "You should come for a visit, Your Majesty. You would adore it. It is truly spectacular, furnished with the finest tapestries, the most incredible carpets..."

"Listen to yourself," Prince Hamish interrupted. "You're talkin' 'bout carpets and tapestries. That do'na impress anyone. We all 'ave castles full o' tapestries. If you're going to impress a queen, you 'ave to demonstrate strength. Like the time I..."

"Oh, not another one of your stories," Lloyd interrupted.

"What's wrong with me stories?" Hamish asked.

"There wouldn't be anything wrong them if you stuck to what actually happened instead of exaggerating everything." Lloyd replied.

"Personally, I think that actions speak louder than words," Kiran said. "Don't you agree, Your Majesty?"

Before Elsa could respond, the doors flew open with the sudden arrival of another visitor, catching everyone by surprise.

"Queen Elsa," the newcomer announced loudly. "It is I, Prince Edward of Andalasia. At long last I have arrived in your fair land, and I see I have arrived just in time. It seems your castle is besieged with foreign invaders."

Prince Edward's hand grasped the hilt of his sheathed sword, and Elsa wasn't sure if he was simply teasing the other princes or if he genuinely considered them a threat. Before she could say anything, Prince Hamish stepped forward to confront Edward.

"Who're you callin' an invader, Laddie?" Hamish asked Edward.

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should withdraw to a safe place while I deal with this barbarian," Edward said to Elsa as he began to draw his sword.

"No!" Elsa abruptly shouted, and a hush fell across the assembled princes, almost as if a sudden chill had settled in throughout the room. Elsa quickly regained her composure. She hadn't meant to react so loudly, but she was relieved that at least a war hadn't just broken out in her foyer. "I mean, that's not necessary, Prince Edward," she said. "These are simply other visitors, like yourself. This is Prince Hamish of Dunbroch, Prince Kiran of Maldonia, Prince Amir of Agrabah, and Prince Lloyd of Prydain."

"Other princes?" Edward said, seeming for a moment as if the very concept was alien to him. Then he simply shrugged and returned his sword to its sheath. "As you wish, Your Majesty, but rest assured, I would not hesitate to defend you against any menace that might threaten you, be it vile ogre or fearsome dragon."

"Ogres and dragons?" Lloyd scoffed. "What nonsense."

"There's no such thing as ogres, but dragons are real. I saw one with me own eyes." Hamish said.

"You have _not_ seen a dragon," said Lloyd dismissively.

"I did indeed. It was on a deserted island guardin' a cave filled with treasure, a giant fire-breathin' beast. I barely escaped with me life."

"The way you tell stories, you probably just saw a lizard crawl out of a hole." Lloyd said.

"Or maybe a frog," Kiran added with a laugh. "Perhaps if you had kissed it, it would have turned into a princess!"

Lloyd and Amir joined Kiran in laughing at Hamish's claims of seeing a dragon, while Edward just seemed to be confused. Elsa, for her part, was already beginning to find the princes rather tiresome. She loudly cleared her throat to get their attention and they all promptly straightened up and fell silent.

"Our apologies, Queen Elsa," said Prince Lloyd. "Clearly our behavior has been most unbecoming, and on behalf of all of us, I ask for your forgiveness. I am certain we will all try our utmost to remain civil from this point forward."

"I've heard that Arendelle has a magnificent art collection," Prince Amir said, trying to move on.

"Yes, we do," Elsa said.

"It would be wonderful to have a chance to view it," Amir said.

"Well, I suppose that..." Elsa began, considering the idea.

"Yes! A tour! What a splendid idea!" Edward suddenly exclaimed, interrupting.

"I certainly appreciate viewing works of great beauty," Kiran said, locking eyes with Elsa.

Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Very well," Elsa said, motioning toward the door. "If you will all come with me, the art gallery is this way."

As she turned, Elsa shot Kai a look of weary resignation.

"Your Majesty, may I have a moment of your time before you go," Kai said.

"What is it, Kai?" Elsa asked.

"The delegation from Enchancia is due to arrive shortly," Kai said. "Perhaps _I_ could escort our guests on their tour while you remain here to welcome them."

"Of course, Kai," Elsa said. "That is an excellent idea."

"Gentlemen," Kai began. "if your will follow me..."

"Thank you," Elsa whispered with sincere gratitude to Kai as he walked past her.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Kai whispered back, pausing next to her.

"They _are_ all leaving after the wedding, right?" Elsa asked quietly.

"In the morning," Kai replied.

Elsa nodded and Kai continued on his way, leading the five princes on their tour. Elsa watched with relief as the princes disappeared through the door. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

The lowly trade schooner went almost unnoticed as it sailed among the grand barques and clipper ships in the Arendelle harbor. With its grimy sails and flaking paint, the humble vessel traveled from port to port carrying mundane cargo. It was mere coincidence that its schedule brought it to Arendelle during the wedding celebrations. However, that coincidence had brought the ship some additional income in the form of a rare passenger.

The passenger was a man in his mid-20s, thin and not particularly tall, but with a sturdy build. He wore the clothes of a traveling merchant, in this case a navy blue suit, but his brown hair had been tousled by the ocean breeze, leaving him looking somewhat disheveled. He had been very secretive about where he had originally come from and why he was traveling to Arendelle. This had made the ship's captain slightly suspicious, as a simple merchant would have no need for such secrecy, but the passenger had paid a fair price for his trip, so the captain had decided it was best to simply mind his own business.

As the crew finished tying up the ship, the mysterious passenger walked down the gangplank onto the dock. It had been a long journey, of which the voyage on the schooner was merely the final leg. Though he didn't mind sea travel, he was glad to finally be able to go beyond the confining decks of the small vessel. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked around at the colorful wooden buildings that lined the waterfront.

"Sir Lars," came the voice of the schooner's captain from the deck. "Where do you want your things sent?"

"I don't know yet," the passenger replied. "I haven't arranged for a place to stay."

"I can't just wait around here until you do," the captain said.

Lars produced a gold coin from his pocket and held it up for the captain to see.

"Unload it last," Lars said. "If I'm not back in an hour, just leave it on the dock."

Lars tossed the coin up to the captain and then continued on his way up the dock. The captain examined the coin. It was an old Coronan mark, which struck the captain as odd as he had already deduced that his passenger was _not_ from Corona. He bit the gold coin to confirm it was real and then shrugged as he pocketed the coin and moved on to his other responsibilities.

As he walked along the dock, Lars looked around and took in view of the cliffs of the fjord and the majestic mountains beyond that towered over the city. Arendelle certainly was a beautiful land, he mused. As he approached the end of the dock, Lars spotted the dockmaster and headed toward him.

"Welcome to Arendelle," the dockmaster said.

"Thank you," Lars replied with a friendly tone. "Could you please recommend a place to get a room for the night?"

"If you don't already have something arranged, it may be difficult," the dockmaster replied. "You might try the boarding houses on the edge of town."

"That's very helpful, thank you," Lars said.

"Are you here for the wedding festivities?" the dockmaster inquired.

"In a manner of speaking," Lars replied.

"Well, enjoy your stay," said the dockmaster.

"I hope to," Lars said, and continued on his way.

Lars soon found himself in the town square, among the pushcarts and the small shops that were selling flowers and clothing and royal wedding souvenirs of all kinds. The small square was crowded, with the local townspeople and tourists alike bustling about before the wedding began. Lars paused for a moment near the center of the square to get his bearings.

Lars had been to Arendelle before. His father was a traveling merchant who often did business in Arendelle. When Lars was a young boy, his father let him come along on some of his journeys, and during one of them they traveled to Arendelle. The town square had seemed so much larger and the buildings so much taller to the small boy that Lars had been then. To the man Lars had become, the reality of the town square now seemed quaint in comparison to his childhood memories. Lars realized, though, that for the most part Arendelle had actually changed very little. It was he who had changed.

In the distance, Lars saw the castle with its gates standing open. The castle was just as grand a sight as Lars remembered. The mountains and fjords hadn't made much of an impression on Lars as a boy, but the castle had awed him. It had been everything the young Lars had imagined a castle could be. He had daydreamed about heroically charging the gates on his mighty steed to rescue a damsel who was imprisoned high in one of the towers, just like the knights in the stories he used to read. But that was nothing more than a child's fantasy. As an adult, Lars knew that real life was usually far more mundane, and that even in the unlikely event that an opportunity for action did arise, being a hero wasn't as straightforward as those old fairy tales made it seem.

Still, Lars found himself gazing longingly at the castle and its open gates. When Lars had visited Arendelle as a boy, the gates of the castle had been closed. He had wished that the gates would open, even just for a moment, so that he might get a glimpse of what was behind them, but they had remained shut tight. Now, the gates of the castle were open, and they were seemingly calling to him, beckoning him to come inside and finally see what secrets had been hidden behind the castle walls. Lars found the allure of the open gates difficult to resist. But for now, the castle would have to wait. After all, Lars hadn't come to Arendelle to satisfy his childhood curiosity. He was a man on a mission, and right now, that mission required that Lars focus on the more immediate concern of finding lodging. Lars took one last look at the castle, then set off in search of a boarding house.


	4. Chapter 4

In the stables of the palace, Kristoff was spending his last moments as a bachelor with his loyal reindeer as he finished preparing for his wedding ceremony. Kristoff was dressed in a cobalt blue tailcoat with scarlet trim and a white silk sash over his shoulder. He had never worn anything so formal before and he wasn't entirely comfortable. The stiff standing collar was particularly bothersome. It was so tight that at first Kristoff though it would choke him. He had managed to adjust it so that it was tolerable, at least for one day, but he still didn't care for it. He knew it would make Anna happy though, and perhaps if he looked the part of a prince it would cut down on the looks of disapproval from her sister.

It wasn't that Kristoff thought that Elsa didn't like him at all. The queen had never said anything to him that would make him believe she had a problem with him, nor had Anna admitted that Elsa had said anything like that to her. And, after all, Elsa had given them her blessing to marry. Still, Kristoff always felt like Elsa was simply tolerating him for Anna's sake, and that no matter what he did, and no matter how happy Anna was, Elsa would never fully accept him. He kept trying to forge a connection with Elsa, but nothing ever seemed to work. The best reactions he ever received were forced smiles and polite but slightly condescending comments. He appreciated that she did seem to be making an effort, but he still couldn't ignore the way she rolled her eyes when she thought he wouldn't notice. He hoped that the wedding would improve their relationship, even though he knew it was probably too much to wish for.

"Well, Sven, how do I look?" Kristoff asked the reindeer.

Sven responded with an unimpressed snort.

"Yeah, I know it's not really me," Kristoff said, "but do you think it will impress the ice queen?"

"She doesn't like to be called that," Kristoff said in Sven's voice.

"Oh, right, she's the _snow_ queen," Kristoff corrected himself with a hint of sarcasm. "That's totally different."

"And you wonder why she doesn't like you," Kristoff replied as Sven.

"You know what, Sven? You're right," Kristoff said. "I really should have a better attitude. So, I'm going to work on that, for Anna." He looked down at his outfit and then back at Sven. "Anna will like the suit, right?"

Sven gave Kristoff another dismissive snort.

"Come on, buddy, don't be like that," said Kristoff.

"But I want to go to the wedding," Kristoff said as Sven.

"I know, and I wish you could be there too," Kristoff replied, "but we've talked about this. There isn't room in the chapel for a reindeer. Besides, you're going with us to the troll ceremony, and we both know that's the one that really counts."

"Yeah, I guess," Kristoff voiced Sven with a dejected tone.

"Aw, cheer up," Kristoff said, producing a carrot from his pocket. "Look what I brought for you."

Kristoff took a bite of the carrot before giving the rest to the eager reindeer. He had promised Anna that when he shared carrots with Sven he would take the first bite himself. Kristoff noticed that Kai had appeared at the open doorway.

"It's time," Kai said with a smile.

"Well, this is it," Kristoff said to Sven. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Kristoff said in Sven's voice.

Kristoff followed Kai into the courtyard, which was filled with a huge crowd of tourists and townspeople. Kristoff had never seen so many people in one place. He figured there were easily hundreds and possibly thousands of people there. It suddenly struck Kristoff that all of those people were there for _his_ wedding, and he felt overwhelmed. He reminded himself that they had probably actually come because it was _Anna's_ wedding, but it was still his wedding too. He sheepishly waved to the crowd and the people cheered.

Kai held the door of the chapel open for Kristoff. As he stepped inside, Kristoff could hear the choir singing. He paused at the back of the chapel and looked at the assembled dignitaries and other invited guests. They had yet to notice Kristoff's presence as they talked among themselves. Kristoff realized he didn't really know anyone there. The only family he had were Sven and the trolls who rarely left their valley, so everyone at _this_ ceremony had been invited by Anna and Elsa. He saw a few people he had met before, but he didn't know any of them very well. Even with so many people around, in that moment Kristoff felt very alone.

"Go on," Kai said, urging Kristoff forward.

Kristoff took a deep breath and started walking down the aisle toward the altar. The guests noticed him and stood up. The people on either side of the aisle greeted him, reaching out to shake his hand. Those he hadn't met tried to introduce themselves, but Kristoff knew he was seeing too many new faces too quickly for him to be able to remember anyone's name. Some of them tried to make small talk with him, but Kristoff never knew what to say. He was a simple ice harvester; he didn't have anything in common with these leaders and diplomats. Yet, here he was, about to marry a princess and become a part of their world forever. He slowly worked his way up the aisle, telling people it was nice to meet them and thanking them for coming. He was relieved to finally reach the altar where the bishop was waiting. He took his place and looked back out over the assembled guests, who had again taken their seats.

"I have to admit," Kristoff whispered to the bishop, "I'm suddenly feeling very nervous."

"There's nothing to worry about," the bishop replied. "You're going to be just fine."

Kristoff noticed that Queen Elsa had appeared in the doorway at the back of the chapel. Kai announced her arrival and the choir began singing a processional song. All of the guests abruptly stood, almost in unison. As Elsa walked down the aisle, the guests bowed to her in silence. Though Kristoff didn't notice, Elsa could hear some of the guests whispering behind her after she had passed. Elsa couldn't make out any of the words, but she was convinced that they were talking about the fact that her younger sister was getting married while Elsa herself remained unwed. Elsa took her place at the front of the chapel, and she and Kristoff stood silently while they waited for Anna. Kristoff found the moment to be particularly awkward, especially as Olaf enthusiastically bounded down the aisle carrying the rings, to the astonishment of many of the guests, who had not expected to encounter a living snowman.

The awkward moment passed for Kristoff when Anna entered the chapel. As he watched Kai escort her down the aisle, Kristoff couldn't believe how incredibly beautiful she looked in her wedding gown. Their eyes met and her smile broadened with excitement. All of Kristoff's fears and doubts and apprehensions melted away, and all he could think about was Anna and how much he loved her. Up until that moment, Kristoff had thought of the chapel wedding ceremony as a mere formality that he simply had to get through, but now, all of a sudden, there was nowhere else he would rather be and nothing else he would rather do.

As Anna quietly thanked Kai for walking her down the aisle, Kristoff noticed out of the corner of his eye that Elsa was wiping away a tear. Kristoff assumed that Elsa's tears were simply tears of joy. Actually, seeing her sister being walked down the aisle made Elsa think of their late parents. The thought that it should have been their father walking Anna down the aisle instead of Kai nearly overwhelmed Elsa with sadness, and she was struggling to maintain her composure for Anna's sake.

Anna stepped up to the altar and handed Elsa the huge bouquet of purple crocuses that Olaf had given her before turning to Kristoff and taking his hands.

"Anna and Kristoff," the bishop began, "we are gathered here today to join you together in marriage..."

Kristoff didn't hear anything else the bishop said. He lost himself staring deeply into Anna's eyes, and for a moment he felt as if the rest of the world had disappeared and there was nothing but the two of them. Eventually, though, he saw Anna's expression change to one of confusion. She looked to the bishop, and Kristoff blankly did the same.

"Your vows," the bishop whispered.

It took Kristoff another second to realize that he had missed the bishop's cue for him to recite his vows.

"Oh, right, the vows," Kristoff eventually said.

Anna unsuccessfully tried to stifle a giggle while Elsa simply rolled her eyes. Olaf handed Kristoff a ring and he slid it onto Anna's finger.

"I, Kristoff Bjorgman, promise to love and cherish you, and to remain faithful to you, for better or for worse, until death do us part."

Anna took the other ring from Olaf and slid it onto Kristoff's finger.

"I, Anna of Arendelle, promise to love and cherish you, and to remain faithful to you, for better or for worse, until death do us part."

"By the authority vested in me by the crown of Arendelle, I now declare you to be husband and wife," the bishop announced.

The bishop had barely finished speaking before Anna eagerly hopped forward and wrapped her arms over Kristoff's shoulders to pull him in for a kiss. As they kissed, Kristoff pulled Anna even closer and the crowd exploded into applause.


	5. Chapter 5

It had taken a lot longer than Lars had anticipated to secure a room for the night and retrieve his luggage from the pier. By the time he finally made it to the castle, the wedding ceremony was already well underway. Not that the ceremony itself mattered much to Lars; he hadn't been invited anyway. He would have liked to have had more time to plan his next step, however.

Lars had purchased an inexpensive second-hand overcoat from a shop near his boarding house so that he would blend in among the throng of Arendelle commoners who had gathered in the courtyard of the palace to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom. It seemed to work as the palace guards stationed at the gates barely noticed him when he walked by. He almost couldn't believe it was so easy to get through the castle gates that had so intrigued him when he was younger. The spires of the palace towered overhead. They seemed even taller than ever now that he was so close to them. The courtyard was filled with spectators waiting for the ceremony to end and for the newly married couple to emerge. Lars struggled to work his way through the tightly-packed crowd, but eventually he managed to get close enough to the front to have a view.

A broad burgundy carpet had been laid out from the steps of the chapel to the main entrance to the palace. A palace guard stood at attention on each side of the chapel steps, facing forward. More palace guards lined each side of the route to the castle, though they were spread somewhat thin with large gaps between them. The large crowd seemed well behaved, however, and Lars had heard that the royals had forged a close relationship with their small population, so he wasn't overly surprised at the relative lack of security. The people were content to stay on one side of the carpet. The side closest to the palace was lined only by the guards. More guards were stationed at the front doors of the palace, which, unlike the main gates, remained closed. Lars realized the situation was about as advantageous as he could have realistically hoped, and he began to formulate a plan in his mind.

The bells of the chapel rang out, signaling the end of the wedding ceremony. The crowd stirred with anticipation as people began jostling to get a better view. The doors of the chapel opened, and Anna and Kristoff stepped out and were met with a roar of applause, which only grew louder as they happily waved to the people. They did make a lovely couple, Lars thought, finding himself swept up in the excitement of the moment. As the newlyweds continued down the steps, Lars thought for a moment that he saw a living snowman run out of the chapel after them. Whatever he thought he saw almost immediately disappeared from his view, which was obstructed by the people in front of him, and he promptly dismissed the vision as a figment of his imagination.

Lars knew that Queen Elsa would be the next person in the line, but he was still caught off guard when she emerged from the chapel. The queen was strikingly beautiful. Lars had not anticipated that. He found himself transfixed watching her walk down the carpeted path. As she scanned the crowd, her eyes met his and for a split second Lars feared that she could tell he was an interloper. But her gaze immediately shifted as she continued on her way without even pausing. Lars continued to watch her after she passed by until his view was interrupted by the wedding guests following her and he shook himself from his reverie.

The crowd subtly moved in an attempt to follow the newlyweds as they continued toward the palace. Lars allowed the others to move around him as he went in the other direction, back toward the chapel. Eventually he broke away from the throng. The guards at the front of the chapel were focused on the people lining the pathway and didn't notice Lars at all as he walked by and followed the outer wall toward the back of the chapel. Lars circled around the back wall to the other side of the chapel. He was actually a little surprised that there were no guards or obstructions of any kind to stop him. He silently crept forward along the wall in the shadow of the chapel. He could see the back of the guard at the foot of the stairs as he approached. If the guard had turned around, he would have clearly seen Lars, but the guard had no reason to turn.

Lars steadily made his way to the front of the chapel and crouched against the front wall next to the steps just a few feet behind the guard. He could look up and see the line of wedding guests leaving the chapel. If any of the guests had looked down over the side of the stairs, they could have seen him, but none of them did. He waited in the shadows, his dull Arendelle overcoat helping to disguise him as he watched for the end of the line of guests.

From where he sat, Lars could see the front of the line. The newlyweds had paused at the entrance to the palace for the enjoyment of the people. The crowd was focused on them, and the guards were watching the crowd. No one was looking back.

Lars saw the last group of wedding guests leaving the chapel. He pulled from his pocket a large gold coin, an Arendelle crown. Lars tossed the coin ahead of him, in a low arc between the chapel steps and the guard standing in front of him. The shiny coin landed a few steps in front of the guard. Lars watched the guard intently. He could tell the guard had seen the valuable coin. The guard didn't turn around, simply assuming the coin had fallen from the pocket of one of the passing wedding guests, though he had no idea which one. He stared at the coin for a moment, weighing the risk of being seen stepping away from his post against the value of the coin.

After a moment that had seemed to Lars like an eternity, the guard stepped forward to retrieve the gold coin. Lars quickly shed the Arendelle overcoat to reveal his formal royal blue tailcoat and trousers and polished black boots. Leaving the overcoat behind, Lars slipped unnoticed behind the guard as he knelt to pick up the coin. Lars looked just like another wedding guest as he joined the back of the line. The guard on the other side of the steps didn't notice that Lars hadn't actually come down the stairs with the others. Lars was certain he hadn't been spotted but he didn't dare look back at the guards. Instead he started talking to a young woman who was also at the back of the line.

"Wasn't that a beautiful ceremony?" Lars said.

"Oh, yes, I loved it. It was so romantic," she replied, unaware that Lars had not actually seen the ceremony.

Lars continued making small talk, and as the line moved forward, he brought other guests into the conversation. Lars knew that everyone at the ceremony would have had their invitations checked when they arrived. It would have annoyed them if the guards checked their invitations again when they entered the palace. As long as he blended in with the legitimate guests, Lars knew he would be let into the palace with them without being questioned. By the time they reached the entrance to the palace, Lars was engaged in a lively conversation with a large group of guests. He had even managed to inch his way forward so that he was no longer the last person in line. He passed through the doors of the palace without a second glance from the guards.

Once he was inside the palace, Lars let out a sigh of relief that went unnoticed by his new companions and took in his surroundings. It suddenly sank in that he was actually inside the castle that had always captivated him. He couldn't help but smile as he followed the other guests to the ballroom. He had managed the trickiest part of his plan. Now, all he had to do was keep a low profile while he waited for the right moment.


	6. Chapter 6

The wedding ball was in full swing and music filled the ballroom. Anna and Kristoff had shared their first dance, but not long after that, one of the visiting dignitaries had cut in, leading to Anna dancing with a series of wedding guests while Kristoff was enlisted to dance with the wives of diplomats who were too engrossed in their own conversations to dance themselves.

Even though Elsa had spent much of the evening declining more invitations to dance than she could count, she was still managing to enjoy herself. The conversations were better than at her coronation, perhaps due to the more relaxed atmosphere at the wedding ball. Or, maybe, it was simply that Elsa was more comfortable and less anxious now that her powers were common knowledge and she didn't have to bear the crippling fear that her secret would be revealed. She didn't have any dark secrets to keep hidden anymore. She also wasn't the center of attention this time, which suited her just fine. She had even managed to keep the five visiting princes at bay for a while, though she knew that couldn't last forever. Indeed, while Prince Kiran was dancing with Anna, Elsa found herself stuck with the other four.

"I must say, Queen Elsa, this is truly a marvelous ball," said Prince Edward.

"Aye, 'tis a grand celebration," Prince Hamish agreed. "Reminds me o' another wedding I went to in a far-off land..."

"Oh, no," groaned Prince Lloyd. "Not the Chinese wedding story again."

"What's wrong with the Chinese wedding story?" Hamish asked. "'Tis a great story."

"Yes, it _is_ a fantastic story," Lloyd replied. "It gets better every time you tell it. But I was _there_ for the Chinese wedding, and I know that most of your story never happened."

"It _all_ happened!" Hamish protested. "You jus' didna' see it!"

"What happened at the Chinese wedding?" Elsa asked, genuinely curious.

"Indeed, did you encounter a dragon there as well?" Edward asked. No one else was quite sure if Edward was mocking Hamish or was seriously asking.

"I'll tell you what happened, your majesty," Lloyd said. "There was a wonderful wedding with a colorful parade, beautiful flowers, and spectacular fireworks." Lloyd turned and glared at Hamish. "And that's it."

"Ah, that sounds like a royal wedding back home," Prince Amir said, "with a parade throughout the city with exotic animals, music, dancers, ending up in the beautiful gardens of the palace, furnished for the ceremony with the finest silk. An Agrabah wedding would be truly fit for a queen."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Lloyd asked accusingly.

"Aye," Hamish added, "do you think you'll win the queen's hand just by promisin' a fancy wedding?

"Wait, what?" Elsa said, surprised by the turn the conversation had taken.

"Please, not one of you are worthy of the hand of the queen," Edward said.

"Oh, but I suppose you think you are, then?" Hamish replied.

"Of course!" Edward said. "What queen wouldn't want to marry me, especially when the alternatives include a garish brute who can't even speak properly?"

"I didna' come 'ere to be insulted!" Hamish said angrily. He turned to Elsa. "Queen Elsa, would you care to dance?"

Elsa found herself seriously considering the offer, if only as a means to escape the awkward situation that was developing. If only she knew how to dance.

"That's very kind, but I don't dance," Elsa said.

"Well, in that case..." said Hamish as Kiran and Anna just happened to twirl by on the dance floor. Hamish quickly bumped Kiran away and took his place. "Mind if I cut in, Laddie?" Hamish said, after the fact.

"Oh, hi," said a surprised Anna.

"Come along, Lassie," Hamish said. "Let me show you how we dance in Dunbroch."

Prince Kiran was left momentarily stunned as he watched Hamish and Anna dance away. Then he noticed Elsa was nearby.

"Ah, Queen Elsa!" Kiran said. "This is a fabulous party. I do love this music. I don't know how you resist the urge to dance."

"I don't dance," Elsa said.

"Are you telling me this music doesn't fill your heart and stir your soul?" Kiran asked.

"Oh, it's not that I don't appreciate music," Elsa replied. "I do play the piano."

"But of course!" Kiran said. "I knew you had to have a musical side. I could tell. I am very musical myself. Perhaps I could play something with the band."

"Well, I suppose that would be up to them," Elsa said.

"And later, perhaps we can play something together," Kiran added.

"Oh," Elsa said, unsure of how to reply. "I've never played with anyone else."

"There is always a first time," Kiran said.

"Oh, could you be any more transparent?" Lloyd interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?" Kiran said.

"Your blatant attempt to woo the queen is as shameless as it is futile," Lloyd said. "She is clearly uninterested."

"Yes, I agree," Amir added. "It is in very poor taste."

"As if you're any better," Lloyd said to Amir, "with your talk of a wedding fit for a queen. You can't merely try to impress her. Queen Elsa deserves someone who truly appreciates her."

For a moment, Elsa felt gratitude toward Prince Lloyd for defending her. Even though she was perfectly capable of rejecting the advances of the princes herself, he had saved her the trouble. But before she could actually thank him, the mood was quickly broken.

"Someone like me!" Edward abruptly announced.

"I wasn't talking about you!" Lloyd grumbled.

"Why not?" Edward asked.

Elsa rolled her eyes in annoyance as the four princes started arguing among themselves. She looked around the room and spotted a couple of familiar faces, giving her a reason to excuse herself. She started to say something to the princes, but they were already too involved in their argument to notice, so she simply walked away.

"Rapunzel! Eugene!" Elsa called out, waving to the young Coronan couple she had met at her coronation.

"Queen Elsa!" Rapunzel replied, excitedly bounding, and pulling Eugene behind her. "It's so nice to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Elsa said. "I wanted to thank you in person for writing to me. I really do appreciate your letters. Your advice has been very helpful."

"Oh, you're very welcome," Rapunzel said. "I'm glad I could help, and I enjoy hearing from you too."

"I'm sorry I haven't answered your last letter yet," Elsa said. "I've been very busy helping Anna plan her wedding."

"It's okay. I understand." Rapunzel said. "It took Eugene and I a long time to plan our wedding."

"It felt like years," Eugene said, prompting Rapunzel to elbow him.

"Eugene..." Rapunzel said, giving him an annoyed glance.

"Sorry," Eugene said insincerely. "I meant to say that the time just seemed to fly by."

"It really was a wonderful ceremony." Rapunzel said to Elsa. "Anna and Kristoff look so happy."

"Thank you," Elsa said, "and I'm so glad to two of you were able to come."

"Oh, it's nothing." Rapunzel said. "We love coming to Arendelle. It's so beautiful here."

"I'm glad you're enjoying your visit," Elsa said.

"We really are," Rapunzel said. "But you know, you should definitely come to Corona for a visit sometime. It's actually not that long of a voyage. You could come and stay for a few days and be back in Arendelle within two weeks."

"Two weeks..." Elsa muttered. The words echoed in her mind. _They were supposed to be back in two weeks... They said they'd be back in two weeks... It was only two weeks... Just two weeks..._

Eugene noticed Elsa's distressed expression and nudged Rapunzel.

"What?" Rapunzel asked him, then she noticed Elsa's expression as well. She was confused for a moment until she realized what she had said. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Elsa said, trying to fight back the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes. "I just... excuse me."

Elsa rushed towards the nearest exit, brushing past guests who would have liked a moment of her time. She didn't want to spoil the wedding celebration. She had to get away and compose herself.

Anna was still dancing with Prince Hamish when she caught a glimpse of Elsa fleeing across the ballroom. She immediately abandoned her dance partner and chased after her sister.

Elsa found herself in the portrait-lined corridor outside the ballroom. It was dark outside the windows, leaving the hallway dimly lit. She staggered down the corridor until she came to the foot of the grand staircase. She looked up at the wall opposite the staircase. The portrait of her mother and father was hanging there. It hadn't always been in that prominent location; it must have been moved there after...

Suddenly Elsa realized... this was the last place she saw them. This was the spot where she said goodbye, not knowing it would be for the last time. Elsa collapsed on the bottom step of the staircase and began to sob.

Anna came through the door at the far end of the hallway and saw Elsa crying on the stairs.

"Elsa?" Anna called out as she started walking down the corridor. She didn't get a response. She tried again as she approached the staircase. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

Elsa looked up at Anna with makeup-stained tears rolling down her cheeks. She glanced up at the portrait then back at her sister.

"They should be here, Anna," Elsa said forlornly.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, instantly understanding. She sat down on the step next to Elsa and put her arm around her sister, who buried her face in her hands and continued to weep. Anna sadly looked up at the portrait as a tear rolled down her own cheek. "I miss them too."


	7. Chapter 7

Lars had been trying to keep a low profile without actually looking like he was keeping a low profile, biding his time as he waited to make his move. He had spent the evening keeping an eye on Queen Elsa as much as possible without attracting attention to himself. Timing was important, and he had to pick just the right moment. At least, that was what he kept telling himself. The prospect of approaching the queen unannounced was turning out to be more nerve-wracking than Lars had expected. He was actually quite nervous. He wasn't simply making excuses for his lack of action, though; he did have to choose his moment carefully. If anyone intercepted him and found out who he was and where he was from before he got to the queen, he was certain he wouldn't be allowed anywhere near her.

When he saw Queen Elsa abruptly flee the ballroom, followed by the bride, Lars began to silently panic. He had no idea what had happened; the queen had simply been engaged in conversation, and Lars had been too far away to hear anything that was said over the music and revelry of the wedding ball. Lars didn't know what he would do if she didn't return. His plan was suddenly falling apart and there was nothing he could do about it but wait and hope she came back.

Eventually, Princess Anna returned to the ballroom alone, and her new husband excused himself from his current dance partner and rushed over to her. Lars tried to casually make his way close enough to them to listen in on their conversation without drawing attention to himself.

"What happened?" Kristoff asked. "Is Elsa okay?"

"Elsa will be all right," Anna replied. "She'll be back in a minute."

"That's a relief," Kristoff said.

"Yeah," Anna said, "but I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't leave right away."

"Wait, are you saying you don't want to go on our honeymoon?" Kristoff asked.

"No, I do," Anna said. "I'm just a little worried about Elsa."

"But my family is expecting us," Kristoff said.

"I know, but I think Elsa needs me right now," Anna said. "We can go in a few days."

"You don't have to do that, Anna," Elsa said. She had returned to the ball and joined Anna and Kristoff without either of them noticing. She had fixed her makeup, leaving no sign that she had just been crying.

"Elsa!" Anna said in surprise. She hadn't expected Elsa to be back so soon.

"It's your honeymoon," Elsa continued. "You should go. I want you to go and have a good time."

"And you're sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Anna asked.

"I'll be fine," Elsa said. "I know you mean well, but you don't have to worry about me."

"See," Kristoff said to Anna. "She says she'll be fine."

"Now, this is your wedding ball," Elsa said, pushing Anna and Kristoff toward the dance floor. "Get out there and dance."

As Anna and Kristoff took to the dance floor, Kai approached Elsa from where he had been watching to keep the wedding guests from interrupting.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Queen Elsa?" Kai asked.

"Could you please get me a cup of hot chocolate?" Elsa said after a second of thought.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Kai said.

Lars had visibly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Queen Elsa had returned to the ball, and as Kai walked away leaving the queen momentarily alone and unguarded, Lars felt his heart begin to race. He finally saw his opportunity. He took a deep breath and walked straight up to the queen.

"Queen Elsa," Lars said with a bow, "allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sir Lars Magnusson. I have been looking forward to meeting you."

"Oh, thank you," Elsa said, caught off guard. She was not used to total strangers approaching her unannounced, and she wasn't quite sure how to react. There was something familiar about the stranger, as if she had seen him before, though at the moment she couldn't remember where.

"And where did you say you were from, Sir Lars?" Elsa asked.

This was the moment Lars dreaded. He knew things could go badly once he answered the question. He briefly considered a lie, but he knew the truth would come out eventually, and it wouldn't do him any good to be caught in a lie later on. Lars took a deep breath before answering the question with the truth.

"I am from Weselton, Your Majesty," Lars said. He would have sworn that the temperature in the room suddenly dropped ten degrees as he saw a look of terror cross the queen's face.

"Weselton?" Elsa said in shock, then quickly regained her composure. "How did you get here?" she asked in a low, angry tone. "No ships sail between Weselton and Arendelle."

"Not directly, no," Lars said. "It was a long voyage."

"Now I remember you," Elsa said, finally placing him. "I saw you in the crowd out in the courtyard. How did you get in here?"

"I'm not going to give away all of my secrets," Lars said. "At least not yet."

"What are you doing here?" Elsa asked.

"I have come simply to request an audience with Your Majesty," Lars said. "at your convenience, of course."

"An audience?" Elsa said incredulously. "At my convenience? What makes you think I would find it convenient to grant you an audience at all? The Duke of Weselton has sent representatives before."

"Yes, I know," Lars said, "and you had them all sent away without even meeting them. None of them made it as far as I have. I'm doing well just to be talking to you. I think that boldness should count for something."

"You only made it this far by sneaking into my home uninvited during my sister's wedding," Elsa said. "I should have you removed, or maybe arrested."

"You could do that," Lars said. "but at this point I would have no reason to go quietly. Are you really willing to cause a scene at your sister's wedding ball, especially when I pose no threat and have asked for so little?"

Elsa was annoyed to realize that Lars was right. She couldn't disrupt the wedding ball, not after the breakdown she'd just had. Anna would never go on her honeymoon if she knew this interloper from Weselton was in Arendelle, and Elsa had worried Anna enough already. She would have to humor Lars long enough to get him to leave quietly.

"Why do you want an audience?" Elsa asked suspiciously. "You're going to ask for something else, aren't you?"

"Of course," Lars said. "But I think this is hardly the time to discuss it. If you want to know why I'm here, I will be happy to tell you, if you simply grant me an audience."

As much as Elsa hated the idea of giving the trespasser exactly what he asked for, she knew she had to find out what he was really after. Agreeing to meet with him wouldn't really be that much of an imposition if it helped her find out why he was here, but she couldn't let him think she was giving in.

"Fine," Elsa said. "If you are still in Arendelle after all of the wedding guests have left, I will... _consider_... granting you an audience."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lars said.

"Now if you don't mind," Elsa said, "since you weren't invited to the wedding, I would like you to please leave. I can have my guards show you out."

"That won't be necessary. I know the way," Lars said. He bowed farewell. "I look forward to seeing you again, Queen Elsa."

As Elsa watched Lars leave the ballroom, Kai returned with a teacup of hot chocolate on a saucer, which he handed to Elsa.

"Thank you, Kai," Elsa said without looking away from Lars.

"Who is that?" Kai asked, following Elsa's gaze.

"An uninvited guest," Elsa replied. "Make sure he finds his way out."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kai said.

As she watched Kai follow Lars out of the ballroom, Elsa considered the intruder from Weselton. He certainly had some nerve coming into the palace uninvited, but he also seemed quite clever. She would have to be careful not to underestimate him.


	8. Chapter 8

After verbally sparring with Lars, Elsa was tense and needed to calm down. She went to her throne to sit down and sip her hot chocolate. She wanted to put Lars out of her mind, but she had trouble thinking about anything else, and while every swallow of the warm sweet drink made her feel more relaxed, it wasn't helping to distract her mind. She still couldn't keep her mind focused on anything but the enigmatic Weseltonian. She didn't even notice as Olaf wandered into the ballroom and came up alongside her throne.

"Hi, Elsa," Olaf said.

"Oh. Hi, Olaf," Elsa replied. She took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"What's that?" Olaf asked, pointing at the teacup.

"Hot chocolate," Elsa said, and took another sip.

"Ooh, can I have some?" Olaf asked.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" Elsa replied.

"Oh, yeah," Olaf giggled. "That was embarrassing."

"It wasn't just embarrassing, Olaf," Elsa said. "If I hadn't been right there, you might have completely melted. You have to be more careful."

"Is that why I can't go with Anna and Kristoff on their trip?" Olaf asked.

"Well..." Elsa considered for a second. "It's not the only reason, but it is a good one," she answered.

"Because I can be careful," Olaf said excitedly. "I really can. If I promise to be really, really careful, then can I go?"

"Olaf, this trip is just for Anna and Kristoff," Elsa said. "I'm not going with them either."

"Then how come Sven gets to go?" Olaf asked.

"Sven has to pull the sled," Elsa replied.

"But I want to see Kristoff's family," Olaf whined.

"I know you like the trolls," Elsa said, "but you can see them some other time, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Olaf said dejectedly.

"Queen Elsa!" a voice called out from across the ballroom. The voice came from Prince Lloyd, but all five of the foreign princes had spotted her and were practically climbing over each another to be the first to get to her.

"Oh, no," Elsa whispered wearily, slowly shaking her head. She wasn't ready to deal with them again yet.

"Well, I'm gonna go mingle," Olaf said, oblivious to Elsa's distress. His mood had suddenly brightened for no reason at all.

Olaf abandoned Elsa to the princes and ventured out into the sea of wedding guests. Most of them had never even imagined a living snowman before, and for a while Olaf enjoyed all of the attention. Everyone he met gasped in amazement and laughed at his jokes. Eventually the novelty wore off, though, and as the evening wore on, the guests had their fill of amusement and returned to their dancing and conversation.

Olaf grew bored with the ball and wandered outside into the torchlit courtyard. It was getting late and the crowd of Arendelle citizens had dissipated, though many still lingered in hopes of catching another glimpse of the newlyweds. Olaf was not an unfamiliar sight to the people of Arendelle. He spent a lot of time out in the town square. He saw many familiar faces in the courtyard. People waved to him, but because they saw him all the time, they weren't overly excited about seeing him now.

Olaf found himself at the stables and went inside to see Sven. Kristoff's sled was also there. It had been fitted with wheels and decorated with flowers for the wedding. It was already packed for Anna and Kristoff's honeymoon trip.

"Hi, Sven!" Olaf said to the reindeer.

Without Kristoff there to give him a voice, the only response Sven could offer was an excited snort.

"You sure are lucky, Sven," Olaf continued. "You get to go with Anna and Kristoff to see the trolls. I wish I could go with you."

Sven leaned out over the gate of his stall in an attempt to eat the carrot that was Olaf's nose. Olaf seemingly ignored him and wandered around the stables.

"Besides, how much fun can they really have without me there?" Olaf went on. "I'm lots of fun."

Olaf climbed into the back of Kristoff's sled and starting rooting around in the bags.

"I bet if I were there with them, we'd all be a lot happier," Olaf mused. "I could go by myself and meet them there, but I don't know how to get there."

Olaf produced an extra carrot from one of the bags in the sled. He hopped down from the sled and offered the carrot to Sven, who eagerly clamped onto it with his teeth and chomped it down.

"If only there were some way to go with them without them knowing I was going with them until we got there," Olaf said, leading absent-mindedly against Kristoff's sled. He watched the reindeer finish off the carrot before he eventually came to a sudden realization.

"That's it, Sven!" Olaf exclaimed. "I'll just hide in the back of the sled. Anna and Kristoff won't even know I'm here. Then when we get there, I'll jump out and surprise them. They'll be so excited to see me, and we'll all be happy."

Sven snorted disapprovingly.

"Oh, Sven, it's a great idea," Olaf said.

Olaf climbed back into Kristoff's sled. He searched through the luggage and discovered a blanket.

"Look, I'll just cover myself up with this blanket," Olaf said. "They'll never see me. It's perfect!"

Olaf tossed the blanket up in the air and let it come down on top of him, then he rolled himself up in it. He settled down among the luggage in the back of the sled. Then he suddenly had a thought. He popped out of under the blanket and looked over the edge of the sled at Sven.

"Now, Sven," Olaf said. "You have to promise not to tell anyone I'm here."

The reindeer silently stared back at the snowman with a quizzical look.

"Promise?" Olaf asked, pointing a stick arm at the reindeer.

Sven gave Olaf a reluctant snort.

"Okay," Olaf said cheerfully. "Good night, Sven. See you tomorrow."

Olaf disappeared back underneath the blanket. He wrapped the blanket up around him and curled up in a corner in the back of the sled.

"This is gonna be great," Olaf whispered to himself. "This is the best idea I've ever had."

And with that thought in his head, Olaf drifted off to sleep with a satisfied smile on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Kristoff's sled was moved to the center of the courtyard in front of the main doors of the castle and Sven was hitched up to it for Anna and Kristoff's honeymoon departure. Again a crowd filled the courtyard and all along the main road through the town the people were waiting for the newlyweds to pass by. They ended up having a longer wait than anyone expected, though, as Anna and Kristoff were having trouble getting ready to leave.

"Why do we have to leave so early?" Anna yawned. Kristoff had finally gotten her to get up and get dressed in her traveling clothes and was now anxiously leading her through the halls of the palace.

"It's really not that early," Kristoff replied.

"I know you're a morning person, but I'm not," Anna said. "Besides, we were up really late at the ball, and then we didn't exactly get a lot of sleep. Why can't we sleep in and just get there when we get there?"

"We _did_ sleep in, Anna," Kristoff said.

"Really?" Anna said. "Because it doesn't feel like it."

Kristoff led Anna down the grand staircase. Elsa was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, wearing her typical blue dress.

"Well, it's about time you two got up," Elsa said. "You missed breakfast."

"We did?" Anna asked.

"I told you we slept in," Kristoff said to Anna, then he looked to Elsa and said, "Sorry. We were, uh, up late."

"Yes, I know," Elsa replied with a knowing smile that made Kristoff blush.

"Wait, what?" Anna said.

"Now I think it's time the two of you started your honeymoon," Elsa said, changing the subject. She started leading Anna and Kristoff through the foyer toward the front doors of the palace.

"What about breakfast?" Anna asked.

"Don't worry," Elsa said. "I had the kitchen staff pack you a little something. It's already in the sled."

"Are you in a hurry for us to leave?" Anna asked.

"Not exactly," Elsa replied. "But the sooner you leave, the sooner _they_ leave."

Elsa opened the doors to reveal the crowd outside in the courtyard, and at the front of the crowd were the five visiting princes, jostling among each other for the most prominent position.

"Oh," Anna said. "Are they really that bad?" she whispered.

Elsa simply sighed. She really didn't think any of the princes were that bad individually, but all together they were exhausting, and because none of them trusted the others enough to let them out of their sight, they were _always_ together.

Anna and Kristoff started toward the sled, shaking hands and thanking people for coming. Elsa followed behind them. She didn't have to look to know that the princes were close behind her. Kristoff climbed onto the sled and then helped Anna up.

"You're sure you'll be all right by yourself?" Anna asked Elsa as she sat down.

"I'll be fine, Anna," Elsa replied. "Have a good time."

"We will," Anna said. "Thank you."

"Okay, buddy," Kristoff said to Sven as he picked up the reins "Let's go."

The crowd parted to clear a path to the open palace gates. As the sled started to move forward, Anna looked back over her shoulder and waved to her sister. Elsa smiled and waved back. The five princes standing behind her waved as well.

As Sven pulled the sled through the town, the people cheered and waved and the happy couple waved back. Eventually they made their way beyond the edge of the town and out into the countryside. The crowds dissipated and the streets cleared as the people went back to their regular routines. The courtyard of the castle emptied and the palace staff went about their work of cleaning up after the wedding. In the foyer of the castle, Elsa bid farewell to the last of the foreign visitors.

"Rapunzel, Eugene, thank you for coming," Elsa said to the young Coronans.

"Of course," Rapunzel said. "Thank you for inviting us. We had a wonderful time. And again, I'm sorry for last night."

"You don't have to apologize," Elsa said. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, I still feel bad," Rapunzel said.

"Really, it's nothing," Elsa said.

"Yeah," Eugene said to Rapunzel. "Let it go."

"Please come and visit again sometime," Elsa said. "I enjoy having you here, Rapunzel; you remind me of Anna."

Rapunzel tried unsuccessfully to hold back a snicker.

"What is it?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rapunzel said. "It's just that she said I remind her of you."

"Well," Eugene said, "there's a whole world out there just waiting to be explored."

"And I can't wait to see every bit of it," Rapunzel said. "Goodbye, Queen Elsa."

"Have a safe trip," Elsa said.

Elsa watched Rapunzel and Eugene walk away. She really did like them. She knew they had other places to go, but she wouldn't have minded if they had decided to stay in Arendelle for a while. That was more than she could say for her other remaining guests, who were now in the foyer preparing to depart.

"Queen Elsa, I must say I've had a splendid visit," said Prince Edward.

"Yes, it was truly wonderful," added Prince Lloyd.

"Aye, indeed it was," said Prince Hamish. "It reminds me o' the time I..."

"Oh, not another story," Lloyd interrupted.

"I do wish we could have spent some more time together, Your Majesty." Prince Amir said.

"As do I," Prince Kiran said. "I do think Maldonia and Arendelle would benefit from closer relations. Don't you agree?"

"Well, I suppose so, yes," Elsa said.

"You simply must come and visit Agrabah," said Amir.

"Aye, and Dunbroch," Hamish added.

"Oh yes, that's _definitely_ something that's going to happen," Elsa said, trying her best to mask her sarcasm as she practically pushed the princes through the doors.

"And remember," Lloyd said, "if Arendelle ever needs anything, just let me know, and I will be happy to offer any and all assistance Prydain can provide."

"Of course," Edward added, "and at a moment's notice, I will muster the forces of Andalasia to stand with you against any foe."

"Yes, I will keep that in mind," Elsa said. "Thank you."

"And now, Queen Elsa," Kiran said, "until we meet again, I bid you adieu."

"Aye, farewell, Your Majesty," Hamish said.

"All right," Elsa said, slowly closing the doors. "Thank you all for coming. Goodbye."

Elsa closed the doors to the castle, then turned around and leaned her back up against them. She let out a sigh of relief that all the wedding guests were gone. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened. She could faintly hear the palace staff at work cleaning up after the wedding in other parts of the castle, but she mainly noticed how quiet it was. She basked in the calming silence. She was alone.

She _was_ alone. Elsa opened her eyes and looked around the empty foyer. She was _alone_. Somehow, it wasn't as satisfying as she thought it would be. She missed Anna already. She told herself it was silly. It wasn't like she and Anna spent every moment together. Sure, the honeymoon would be their longest time apart since the coronation, but Anna _just_ left. They had certainly been apart for longer than _this_.

Elsa took a deep breath and started up the stairs to her study. In all the wedding planning, Elsa had let herself get behind in her regular royal responsibilities. She was counting on using the quiet, distraction-free days ahead to get caught up. As she stepped into the study, she looked at the stack of correspondence that was piled up on her desk. There was a lot more than she remembered.

Elsa sat down at her desk and picked up the first item off the top of the stack. It was a routine report from a clipper ship that had spotted a Southern Isles fleet on the open sea. Elsa wasn't a navigator and had never even been at sea, so headings and bearings meant nothing to her, but she was certain that if the report was important it would have been brought to her attention when it arrived. The report didn't require a response, so Elsa set it aside and moved on to the next item, which was a letter from King John of Ulstead apologizing for being unable to attend the wedding. That did require a response, so Elsa took out a sheet of stationary and a pen from one of the desk drawers.

Elsa soon settled into a routine and started making steady progress working through the pile of correspondence. After a while, though, she started glancing up at the door even though no one was there. She kept expecting Anna or Olaf to appear at the door, but of course Anna wasn't there and Elsa hadn't seen Olaf all morning. She wondered for a moment where he was, but she knew he was easily distracted and assumed he had found a way to occupy himself.

Eventually, Elsa started looking at the door so frequently that she couldn't concentrate on her work anymore. She decided that she needed a break. She got up from her desk and went out into the corridor. The castle seemed even quieter than it had before. She slowly wandered through the hallways, taking time to appreciate the artwork that she was usually too busy to notice. She went downstairs to the ballroom. The staff had finished cleaning it up from the wedding, and now it was empty and silent.

Elsa went through the foyer to the front doors and stepped outside into the courtyard. It was mostly empty, with only a few people milling around at the edges. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled. She had an idea.

Elsa tapped her right foot to the stone pavement and a sheet of ice began to spread across the courtyard. The ice spread to cover most of the courtyard, but stopped before it reached any of the few other people present. With a wave of her hand, skating blades made of ice formed on the bottom of Elsa's high-heeled shoes. She took a step and began to glide across the icy surface.

Elsa had done this many times before, often with Anna but occasionally by herself. Sometimes there was a formal announcement to allow the people to join in, but more often it was simply a spontaneous impulse on Elsa's part. The people of Arendelle had become accustomed to Elsa's powers and didn't even give her a second glance anymore as she drifted around the courtyard.

Elsa stretched out her arms and momentarily closed her eyes. She almost felt like she was flying as she sailed across the ice. It was an incredible sensation that Elsa found very peaceful. She wished she could maintain it indefinitely, but she knew the courtyard was only so big. She opened her eyes and turned before reaching the end of the ice.

Elsa glided around one of the fountains in the courtyard. As she circled the fountain, she ran her hand through the spouting water, creating a different frozen shape out of the water from each spout. As she skated away from the fountain, Elsa leapt in the air and spun around, landing in reverse to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she jumped into the air again and spun back around.

Brimming with confidence, Elsa produced a gust of frigid wind at her back to accelerate her to a speed she could never reach on her own. She zipped across the ice, and as she reached the edge of the courtyard she waved her hand and created a banked curve out of ice to turn her back in the other direction. She started repeatedly circling the remaining fountain. The cyclone of cold air that formed with her began to pull the water that was shooting from the fountain with it, and Elsa froze the water into a beautiful spiral.

As she flitted about the courtyard, Elsa didn't notice Lars enter through the open gates, dressed in his merchant's suit. Though he had heard about the queen's powers, Lars had never expected to find her ice skating in the courtyard of the palace in the middle of summer. If he had known she would be so easily accessible, he never would have had to go to the trouble of sneaking into the wedding ball. He watched her as she gracefully coasted around the courtyard and spun in the air with her blue dress twirling around her. The people of Arendelle may not have paid any attention, but Lars found himself entranced as he gazed at her from the edge of the ice. She seemed so carefree. It wasn't a side of a queen that Lars had ever expected to see.

Elsa suddenly spotted Lars watching her from the edge of the courtyard and brought herself to an abrupt halt. Lars saw her face flush as if she had been caught in a compromising position. With a wave of her arms, the ice quickly evaporated off of the courtyard and the fountains thawed and resumed flowing. They each stared at the other for a moment before walking toward each other.

"Queen Elsa," Lars said with a bow.

"Sir Lars," Elsa replied. "Did you enjoy the show?" she asked sarcastically.

"I did, actually," Lars answered genuinely, still slightly shocked. "It was beautiful. You shouldn't be ashamed of your powers."

"I'm not ashamed of my powers," Elsa said, surprised by the honest compliment. "I just... didn't know anyone was watching."

"Good," Lars said, "because you have an amazing gift."

"What do you want?" Elsa asked, reminding herself that she was facing the trespasser from Weselton who snuck into her sister's wedding ball. The question shook Lars back into a serious state of mind.

"The wedding guests have gone, and the harbor is empty," Lars said. "You know why I'm here."

Elsa did know why Lars was there. He had come for his audience with her. She could have met with him immediately, but by catching her off guard he currently had the upper hand. If she was going to meet with him, it would have to be on her terms.

"Very well," Elsa said. "Come back this afternoon, and I will grant you your audience."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lars said with a bow. "I look forward to it."

Elsa watched Lars as he walked away and disappeared through the open gates. She wasn't sure what to make of the exchange they had just had. Not only was Lars unafraid of her powers, he actually seemed to appreciate them. After her experience with the duke, she had never expected that from someone from Weselton. But, he was still so secretive and mysterious. She still had no idea why he had come to Arendelle in the first place. Hopefully, she would soon have some answers.


	10. Chapter 10

The reindeer-drawn wheeled sled rolled through the peaceful Arendelle countryside. Kristoff loosely held the reins and enjoyed the ride. He was well aware that Sven knew the way and he let the reindeer set the pace. Kristoff looked at his new bride next to him. Anna was leaning up against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she snoozed soundly. Even as she snored with a bead of saliva slowly working its way from the corner of her gaping mouth towards her chin, Kristoff still couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful sight in the world.

They were approaching Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, and Kristoff pulled on the reins to signal Sven to slow down. The sled hit a bump and the jostling woke Anna from her slumber. She yawned and rubbed her face.

"Are we there already?" Anna asked, unaware of how long she had been asleep.

"No, not yet," Kristoff replied, bringing the sled to a stop. "We're at Oaken's. I need to pick up some more carrots for Sven."

"Oh, okay," Anna said. An idea popped into her head. "Well, maybe while we're here, we can finally try out the sauna," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Ohh," Kristoff said, leaning in to kiss her.

"Ooh, a sauna!" Olaf said excitedly, suddenly popping up from the back of the sled between Anna and Kristoff. "I have no idea what that is, but it sounds amazing!"

"Olaf!" Anna said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I stowed away in the back of the sled so I could come with you!" Olaf replied. "Isn't that great!"

"Yeah, great," Kristoff said with a sarcastic tone that was lost on Olaf.

Anna and Kristoff exchanged confused glances. Neither of them was sure what to do about their uninvited passenger. Anna knew they couldn't just sit there, though. They would have to talk, but not in front of Olaf.

"Come on, Kristoff," Anna said. "Let's go inside."

"I'm coming too!" Olaf announced.

"No, just wait here, Olaf," Anna said. "We'll be right back."

"Okay," Olaf said disappointedly.

Anna and Kristoff climbed down from the sled and went toward the trading post. Anna opened the door and went inside first. Oaken was sitting behind the counter and was excited to see her.

"Hoo hoo, Princess Anna," Oaken said. "It is good to see you again."

"Hi, Oaken," Anna replied. "It's nice to see you too."

Kristoff followed Anna into the trading post. Oaken's demeanor instantly changed.

"Oh, it's this fellow," Oaken said dryly.

"Are you still mad about that?" Kristoff asked. "I said I was sorry."

"Can't you just forgive him already, Oaken?" Anna asked. "For me?"

"All right," Oaken said reluctantly. "For you I will forgive him."

"Thank you," Anna said.

"Now, what brings you here today?" Oaken asked.

"We just got married, and we're on our honeymoon!" Anna said with glee.

"Congratulations, dear," Oaken said. He placed a jar of fish on the counter. "Have a quart of lutefisk, on the house."

"Oh, thanks," Anna said.

"So you are on a romantic getaway, yah?" Oaken asked.

"Well, it was supposed to be," Kristoff said.

"So, what do you want to do?" Anna asked as she casually looked through the items on the shelves. "Should we turn around and take Olaf back home?"

"No, we're already more than halfway there," Kristoff said. "I guess he'll just have to come with us. I'm sure my family will be able to keep him occupied."

"And, maybe he can keep _them_ occupied too," Anna said with a smile, "and then we can have some time alone together."

"I hadn't thought of that," Kristoff said. "This might work out even better than we expected."

"Hey, Oaken, what's this?" Anna asked, looking at a shelf full of dark glass bottles.

"Ah, that is a new drink of my own invention," Oaken said. "You should try it."

Anna picked up a bottle and pulled out the cork. She hesitated for moment, as there were no glasses to pour the contents into, and she was a princess, after all. Then she shrugged and took a sip straight from the bottle.

"Mmm, it's sweet," Anna said, "and it has bubbles in it." She handed the bottle to Kristoff. "Here, try it."

Kristoff sniffed at the bottle suspiciously before cautiously taking a drink.

"Yeah, it's good," Kristoff said.

"What's it called?" Anna asked.

"I call it Oaken Cola," Oaken replied.

"We'll take two," Anna said, picking up another bottle. "And maybe on the way back we can stop and get some for Elsa. I'm sure she'll like it too."

Anna and Kristoff made their way up to the counter where they set down the two bottles and a bunch of carrots. Kristoff handed Oaken some coins as payment.

"Thank you, and come back again, yah?" Oaken said as Anna and Kristoff gathered up their purchases into bags and headed for the door.

"Oh, we will. Thank you, Oaken," Anna said over her shoulder on her way out the door.

Outside the trading post, Kristoff took the back of carrots to Sven. He pulled out one of the carrots, took a bite himself, then gave the rest to the reindeer.

"There you go, Buddy," Kristoff said to Sven. He took the bag with the remaining carrots and put it in the back of the sled before climbing up into his seat.

"What took you guys so long?" Olaf asked.

"We weren't in there that long," Anna replied as she climbed onto the sled.

"Well, it felt like a long time out here," Olaf said.

"I'm sorry, Olaf," Anna said. She took out one of the bottles of Oaken Cola and pulled out the cork. "We got this inside; try it," she said, handing the bottle to Olaf, who then took a long swig from the bottle.

"It tickles," Olaf said, giggling. " I like it!"

"All right," Kristoff said. "Are we ready to go?"

"I think so," Anna said as she took back the bottle, recorked it and put it back in the bag.

"OK, Buddy, let's go," Kristoff said, picking up the reins.

As Sven got the sled underway, Kristoff held the reins with one hand and put his other arm around Anna. She snuggled up close to him with a blissful smile on her face. For a few minutes, the two newlyweds enjoyed the tranquil serenity of simply being together. The peaceful moment didn't last long, however. The sled was barely out of sight of Wandering Oaken's Trading Post & Sauna when Olaf spoke up.

"Are we there yet?"


	11. Chapter 11

Elsa ate her modest lunch alone and the silence was almost unbearable. The spacious dining hall had been intended to host lavish state dinners, and at the moment it seemed larger and emptier than ever. Every clink of her silverware against the china echoed off the walls, accentuating the emptiness. But Elsa feared that taking her meals in her room might start her down a slippery slope back to a life of isolation, so here she was, dining alone in an even bigger room.

Elsa kept thinking of something to say to Anna, but just as she was about to speak she would look up and see nothing but empty chairs staring back at her. She had grown accustomed to having Anna back in her life, and to having Kristoff and Olaf around. They didn't eat every meal together; Anna enjoyed finally having the freedom to leave the castle, Kristoff had a job to do, and Olaf liked to explore. But whenever they missed a meal, Elsa always knew that they would probably be back in time for the next one. This would be the first day that she hadn't shared at least one meal with her sister since...

Elsa didn't want to think about that. She knew she needed to focus on something else. She hoped that once she delved back into her paperwork she would be distracted enough to not keep dwelling on just how lonely she really was. Elsa sighed. At the moment, she couldn't forget that by the end of the day she would have to face another silent meal all by herself.

Elsa quietly finished her lunch and returned to her study. She hadn't gotten through nearly as much of the pile of correspondence as she thought she had. She sat down at her desk and picked up the next item. Slowly she settled back into her routine. The dull reports and mundane letters weren't captivating enough to keep Elsa from thinking about how quiet it was. She soon became bored, but she knew she it was important to keep working.

As the afternoon wore on, Elsa grew more and more disinterested in the correspondence. She was sitting in a very unqueenlike position, slouching with her elbows on her desk and her head propped up by one hand as she blankly stared down at a sheet of stationery, when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes? Who is it?" Elsa said as she straightened up and corrected her posture.

The door opened slightly and Kai poked his head in.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Your Majesty," Kai said, "but there is someone to see you. He says you're expecting him."

Elsa already knew exactly who it was that had come to see her. Though she hadn't been looking forward to their meeting, she now found that she was actually grateful for the distraction.

"Yes, Kai," Elsa said, standing up and pushing the pile of correspondence to one side. "Show him in, please."

"Of course," Kai said as he opened the door the rest of the way and entered the room with Lars behind him. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle, may I present Sir Lars Magnusson of _Weaseltown_."

As he bowed, Lars tried to hide his annoyance at Kai's deliberate mispronunciation of Weselton, but as he straightened up, he knew he could not simply let the insult pass.

"Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty," Lars began, "but with all due respect, I would appreciate it if your staff would refrain from insulting my homeland in my presence. I am sure that if our positions were reversed, you would feel the same way."

Elsa had to admit to herself that not only had Lars made a brazen move, he was also absolutely right. He did deserve an apology and he knew that by making that point he was starting their meeting at an advantage. As annoying as that was, Elsa was more upset with Kai for giving Lars an opportunity to take the upper hand in the first place.

"Sir Lars is correct, Kai," Elsa said. "That was inappropriate."

"My apologies, Your Majesty," Kai replied.

Elsa silently stared at Kai. She quickly glanced at Lars and then back at Kai, hoping Kai would realize what she was waiting for. After a moment of awkward silence that seemed like it would never end, Kai eventually figured it out and turned to Lars.

"I am sorry, Sir Lars," Kai said.

"Thank you, Kai," Elsa said. "You may go."

Kai nodded and quickly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Please, have a seat, Sir Lars," Elsa said, motioning to a pair of chairs separated by a low table as she stepped out from behind her desk.

"Thank you," said Lars. He went over to one of the chairs and waited until Elsa reached the other so they would sit at the same time.

Elsa sized up her visitor. He was barely taller than she was in her heels, and she decided that he was handsome in his own way. His dark blue suit was far more modest than the formal attire he had been wearing when they first met at the coronation ball, but he seemed more comfortable in it. They watched each other carefully as they sat down, and then continued to do so for a moment as they tried to determine if the other would make the next move. Elsa's patience ran out first.

"May I offer you something to drink?" Elsa asked, and with a twist of her wrist a glass made of ice formed on a silver tray that was sitting on the table in front of Lars and filled with water that condensed out of the air.

Even though Lars had already seen Elsa ice skating in the courtyard, he was still suitably impressed by her demonstration, and he appreciated the subtle threat it represented. There was no doubt in his mind that, if Elsa were so inclined, she could drive an icicle through his heart from across the room. Without taking his eyes off her, he leaned forward and picked up the ice glass. It was cold, of course, but not so cold that his fingertips froze to it. He examined the flawless glass for a moment before lifting it to his lips and taking a sip.

"That was refreshing," Lars said, setting the glass back down on the tray. "Thank you."

Elsa had practiced that trick for months in order to consistently form the glass at the perfect temperature so that someone could comfortably pick it up and drink from it without it quickly melting, and then to fill it with liquid water without freezing it, to the point that she was sure that Anna had eventually grown weary of drinking from ice glasses. Elsa had even experimented with different shapes of glasses to find one that would initially melt into itself and would last the longest before leaving a puddle behind. The one she settled on was slightly wider at the bottom than at the top, with sides that were thinner at the top. She had never tried the trick on an unsuspecting stranger before, though, and she was relieved it had worked.

"Now then, Sir Lars," Elsa asked, "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"First of all, I am fully aware of what the Duke did the last time he was in Arendelle, and please allow me to apologize on his behalf," Lars began. "I won't insult you by trying to defend him because his behavior was inexcusable, but just let me assure you he is very sorry for what he's done."

"Well, thank you, Sir Lars," Elsa said, surprised to receive an apology. "I appreciate that, though it hardly makes up for what he did."

"Yes, I know, and I never implied that it did," Lars said. "That brings me to why I'm here."

"And that is?" Elsa asked, starting to get a bit impatient.

"Well, your decision to cut off trade between Arendelle and Weselton has had a dire impact on Weselton's economy," Lars said. "Many of our people depend on trade for their livelihoods, and they are struggling."

"Weselton's economy is none of my concern," Elsa replied dryly.

"But, I'm sure the situation has had an impact in Arendelle as well," Lars said.

Elsa didn't want to admit it out loud, but she knew Lars was right. Weselton had been Arendelle's closest trading partner. Arendelle had managed to maintain most of its trade, but it now had to conduct that trade through more distant ports, and the costs of shipping goods greater distances were passed along to the people. Elsa had tried to offset those increases by reducing taxes and tariffs and making up the deficit with funds from the royal treasury, but eventually the treasury would be depleted. She wasn't about to let Lars suspect any of that, however, so she pretended to ignore the issue.

"What is your point, Sir Lars?" Elsa asked.

"I would like to ask you to consider reestablishing trade with Weselton, under any conditions you would find acceptable."

"That's it?" Elsa asked in surprise. "That's all you're here for?"

"What else?" Lars asked. "Did you think I was trying to hatch some sinister plot?" He looked into her eyes. "You did, didn't you?"

"Well, what else was I supposed to think?" Elsa asked. "If you're not up to something, then why all the secrecy and sneaking around?"

"You've sent every one of the Duke's representatives back home without even meeting them," Lars said. "I knew my only chance was to ask you for a meeting in person, but if you had known there was someone from Weselton in Arendelle, you would have had your guards on the lookout for me, wouldn't you? If I hadn't been so secretive, I never would have gotten anywhere near you, and if I'd told you what I wanted earlier, you could have simply refused me then and there. I needed a chance to make my case."

"What case are you going to make?" Elsa asked. "Why would I even consider trade with Weselton after your Duke tried to have me killed?"

"Because the people of Weselton don't deserve to suffer for the Duke's mistakes," Lars replied.

That statement hit Elsa hard. Ever since that night when she nearly killed Anna, Elsa had spent most of her life trying to keep from accidentally hurting anyone, sacrificing her own happiness to keep herself isolated so no one could be harmed if she slipped up again. Even though she now had control of her powers, she still tried to make sure that any negative consequences from her actions would fall on her alone and not on her people. She didn't want any other lands to turn against Arendelle out of fear of her powers, so she had worked hard to improve Arendelle's foreign relations. She had never really thought beyond Arendelle, though. It had never occurred to her that in trying to punish the Duke of Weselton, she was actually punishing the people of Weselton for something they had no control over. She was dooming Weselton to the very fate she was trying to avoid for Arendelle. Elsa had no idea if the Duke of Weselton understood that, but it seemed like Lars might. Still, Elsa knew it was important that she project the image of a strong leader, and didn't know how she could possibly reverse her position on Weselton without seeming weak.

Before Elsa could think of a response to Lars, the door to the study suddenly flew open. Kai rushed in with a harried look on his face.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Your Majesty," Kai said before Elsa had a chance to react, "but the tower lookouts have spotted something you need to see right away."

"What is it, Kai?" Elsa asked, concerned.

"Come with me and I'll show you," Kai said.

Elsa got up and quickly followed Kai out of the room. Unsure of what to do, Lars followed them out into the hallway. Snowflakes formed in the air behind Elsa and hung suspended overhead. Lars looked up at them in awe as he walked.

Lars followed Kai and Elsa up a spiraling staircase to a tower topped with stained glass and out onto the circular balcony that ringed the tower. Two lookouts and one of Arendelle's military advisors were there waiting. In the distance, a fleet of seven ships could be seen sailing in formation toward the fjord.

One of the lookouts handed Elsa a spyglass. It took her a moment, but she eventually focused on the largest ship which was at the center of the formation. It was flying a blue flag with a gold fleur-de-lis. Elsa recognized the flag immediately.

"The Southern Isles," she said with dismay as she lowered the spyglass and turned to her advisor. "What do you think they want? Could they be peaceful? Maybe they're bringing a wedding gift."

"If they were coming in peace, they'd have sent one ship, not an armada," he replied.

"May I?" Lars asked, holding out his hand for the spyglass. Elsa noticed for the first time that he had followed her and was slightly surprised but silently handed him spyglass. Lars looked through the spyglass at the seven ships from the Southern Isles. At the center of the formation was a barque that was one of the largest ships Lars had ever seen. It had cannons mounted on the top deck, but no gunports on the decks below. It looked to Lars to be a more like a cargo ship than a warship, but there were enough crewmen on the deck to handle the cannons. The six ships surrounding the barque were frigates with far more men on their main decks and open gunports below.

"Perhaps we should ask the Weselton spy," Kai said. "They're friendly with the Southern Isles."

"I'm not a spy," Lars said defensively, lowering the spyglass, "and just because Weselton is on good terms with the Southern Isles doesn't mean I know anything about this.

"Then give us your opinion," the advisor said.

"Well," Lars began, "I've never met any Southern Isles royalty, but from what I know of them, I find it hard to believe King Christian or Crown Prince Fredrick would approve an invasion of Arendelle. But, you're right that they wouldn't have brought a fleet if they were peaceful. I'm not sure what to make of the flagship, but I doubt it's carrying a belated wedding present."

"You're sure you don't know anything about this?" Elsa asked him.

"I swear I don't," Lars replied, looking directly into Elsa's eyes. "I haven't lied to you yet, and I promise I won't. You have my word."

Elsa considered for a moment whether or not she could trust Lars, but she believed he was being truthful.

"Can we ready our own fleet to stop them?" Elsa asked her advisor. "Or to send for help?"

"Against six frigates, with enough warning we might have had a chance, but the wind is with them," he replied. "They'll be in the fjord and have the harbor blockaded before we can get any ships underway."

"You must have shore defenses," Lars said.

"I've already ordered the cannons on the seawall to stand by to fire when the ships are in range, but those cannons are old and have limited range," he said. "Arendelle hasn't been at war in a very long time. We aren't prepared for this."

"What do you recommend?" Elsa asked.

"We have to close the gates and prepare to defend the castle," the advisor said. "With any luck, we can hold them off."

"Is that really the best plan you've got?" Lars asked incredulously.

"If they intend to invade Arendelle, I'm not sure there's anything we can do to stop them."

"I can stop them," Elsa said.

Lars noticed that the others seemed shocked when Elsa said that. He didn't know what she meant, but they all seemed to understand.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked.

"It's the only way," Elsa said reluctantly, "but I promised I would never do this again."

"This is different," Kai said reassuringly. "You're in control now, and you're protecting Arendelle."

Elsa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The clear blue sky suddenly began to fill with gray clouds, and the temperature began to fall rapidly. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, quickly becoming larger and more numerous as they began to coat every flat surface. Lars shivered in the sudden cold. He looked around at the others. They seemed no more concerned than they had about the approaching fleet, and he realized that they had all seen this before.

Elsa opened her eyes and looked out at the ships in the distance. She glanced down at the harbor and Lars followed her gaze. A layer of ice began to spread across the water from the shore. It covered the harbor and extended out into the fjord and beyond toward the ships on the open sea. Just before reaching the ships, the ice ended its advance in a barricade of sharp spikes jutting out to prevent the ships from safely approaching the edge of the ice sheet.

"Why did you stop there?" Lars asked. "You could have trapped them in the ice."

"I don't want to trap them," Elsa replied. "I want them to leave."

They watched for a few minutes to see what the ships would do. The fleet stopped its advance so as not to collide with the spikes of ice, and then held its position. Eventually, five of the ships began to turn, and for a moment Elsa thought she had warded off the attackers. However, instead of turning around, the five ships set a course parallel to the shore, leaving two of the frigates behind to watch the entrance to the harbor.

"They've set a course for Lillehaven," the advisor said.

"Where is Lillehaven," Lars asked.

"It's a village on the next fjord, on the Arendelle frontier," Elsa replied. "My ice doesn't extend that far."

"Why not?" Lars asked.

"Because I can't see Lillehaven from here," Elsa said, "and I don't want to hurt anyone."

"If they land at Lillehaven, they can launch a ground attack from there," the advisor said.

Elsa sighed. She stretched out her arms with her palms up. As she slowly started to raise her arms into the air, a wall of ice began to rise out of the middle of the frozen fjord. Elsa turned her palms outward and the wall began to extend itself onto the shore in both directions, spreading until it completely encircled the city as far as could be seen from the tower.

"A wall will only slow them down," the advisor said.

"Gather the other senior officers," Elsa said to him. "We need to come up with a plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said and then disappeared into the castle.

Elsa considered what to do about Lars. He seemed to have some useful knowledge, and she was beginning to think she could trust him. Even if she couldn't, she reasoned it was better to keep him close.

"Sir Lars," Elsa said, "I would appreciate any assistance you can provide, if you're willing."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Lars replied. "It would be an honor."

"Thank you," Elsa said. She turned to Kai. "Kai, I want you to take everyone we can spare and spread the word about what's happening. I don't want the people to think I've lost control of my powers again."

"Certainly, Your Majesty," Kai said, "but first, may I ask: what of Princess Anna and Kristoff?"

In dealing with the crisis, Elsa had forgotten that Anna wasn't safely inside the castle. By now, she and Kristoff were certainly far beyond the perimeter of her wall of ice, on their way to the secluded home of the trolls that Kristoff called family.

"The trolls' valley is almost impossible to find unless you either have a map or you know the way as well as Kristoff does," Elsa reasoned out loud, though she was clearly worried. "Anna and Kristoff will be safe as long as they stay there, and hopefully this will all be over before they come back."

Kai nodded and went inside and was followed by the two lookouts, who weren't dressed for the sudden cold and now had little to watch for due to Elsa's icy defenses. Elsa stepped up to the railing and rested her hands in the accumulating snow as she stared off in the direction of the trolls' valley. Lars noticed that she was oblivious to the cold. He stepped up next to her. For a moment he forgot she was a queen, and he instinctively reached out and put his hand over hers. She looked down as his hand in surprise but didn't resist. He had somehow expected her skin to feel cold to the touch, but she was actually warm. His fingers curled around her palm and she looked up at him.

"I'm sure your sister will be all right," Lars said, looking into her eyes.

Elsa turned back and resumed her gaze into the distance, but Lars felt her tighten her grip on his fingers.

"I hope so," she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

After what seemed to Olaf like an eternity, he, Anna and Kristoff finally arrived at the Valley of the Living Rock where Kristoff's troll family resided. The trolls had already erected a stone arch for the couple to stand under during their wedding ceremony, and they were hard at work decorating it with mushrooms, flowers and glowing crystals. One of the trolls noticed the approach of the reindeer-drawn wheeled sled.

"They're here!" the troll announced, prompting all of the others to look.

"Kristoff's home!" shouted Bulda, Kristoff's adoptive mother.

"With Anna!" added Cliff, Bulda's husband.

"Olaf!" called out a group of young trolls.

"Hi, everybody!" Olaf replied, jumping off of the sled and running toward them.

As Anna and Kristoff climbed down off the sled, the trolls abandoned their decorating, balling themselves up into boulders and quickly rolling over to Anna and Kristoff, who were quickly surrounded by the friendly trolls.

"Kristoff, pick me up!" said one young troll as it leapt into Kristoff's arms.

"Wow, you've grown!" Kristoff said, struggling to hold the troll, whom he promptly set down.

"Let's play hide and seek," said one of the young trolls to Olaf. "We'll hide and you find us."

"Okay!" Olaf said excitedly, "But don't come out until I find you." He began to count as the little trolls rolled off to hide.

The sea of trolls parted as the elder, Grand Pabbie, approached.

"Princess Anna," Pabbie said, "it is so wonderful to see you under happy circumstances."

"Thank you," Anna replied. "It's nice to be here."

"It is a true pleasure to have you as our guest." Pabbie said.

"We even made you a place to stay, see?" Cliff said, motioning to a small, haphazardly-built stone cottage in a secluded part of the valley.

"That's great, guys," Kristoff said, trying to hide the fact that he was less than impressed.

"And we built it over one of the steam vents, so you'll be nice and warm," Cliff added.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Anna said.

"But first, let's get you two ready for your wedding," Bulda said.

"You know we're already married, right?" Anna asked.

"We _did_ have a ceremony at the palace," Kristoff said.

"Not as far as we're concerned," Cliff said. "You're one of us, and it's not official until you go through _our_ ceremony."

The trolls pulled Anna and Kristoff in separate directions to dress them for their troll wedding. They both received a cloak of moss. Anna's was decorated with glowing crystals while Kristoff's featured a grass fringe around the neck. A grass tiara with more glowing crystals was placed on Anna's head while Kristoff received a tall hat made out of twigs. The trolls then pushed Anna and Kristoff together underneath the stone arch, which they then encircled to watch.

"You know you look ridiculous, right?" Anna quietly whispered to Kristoff while trying not to giggle.

"Really?" Kristoff asked incredulously.

"It's okay, though," Anna said. "I'm sure I do too."

"I was going to say that you looked beautiful," Kristoff said.

"Aww, thank you," Anna said. She looked Kristoff over again. "But, you still look silly," she teased.

A pathway opened up among the assembled trolls and Gothi, the troll priest, rolled up to the archway to begin the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to join Anna and Kristoff in trolly matrimony," Gothi began.

Anna and Kristoff took each other's hands and looked into each other's eyes. Even though they had already been through one wedding ceremony, they still found themselves excited to be having another one.

"Do you, Anna, take Kristoff to be your trollfully wedded husband?" Gothi asked.

"I do," Anna replied.

"And do you, Kristoff, take Anna to be your trollfully wedded wife?" Gothi asked.

"I do," Kristoff replied.

"Then I therefore declare you to be husband and wife," Gothi announced.

Kristoff pulled Anna toward him. She wasn't quite expecting it so she stumbled and fell into him, but she quickly recovered and wrapped her arms around him. Kristoff leaned in an kissed her, and the trolls cheered. The trolls excitedly gathered around and started congratulating Anna and Kristoff. All of a sudden, a frigid gust of wind whipped through the valley. Anna shivered and the surprised trolls began muttering among themselves.

"Brr," Anna said to Kristoff. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah," Kristoff said. He looked up and saw snowflakes beginning to fall from the sky. "Look, it's snowing."

They looked around in confusion for a moment before they each came to a realization and looked to the other for confirmation of their fears.

"Elsa!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Indeed, this is the work of your sister's powers," Pabbie said.

"I don't understand," Kristoff said. "Why would she do something like this now?"

"She must be in trouble," Anna said. "We have to go back."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Pabbie asked.

"I don't know," Anna said, "but if this winter weather doesn't stop soon, you'll know something's very wrong."

Anna and Kristoff quickly shed their wedding cloaks and hats and went back to the sled. Sven was still hitched up so they quickly climbed aboard.

"Olaf," Anna called out. "Come on, we have to go."

"But we just got here," Olaf called back.

"Elsa's in trouble," Anna replied. "We have to go back and help her."

"I'm coming," Olaf yelled, abandoning his game of hide and seek with the young trolls. He jumped up onto Anna's lap and settled down in the seat between her and Kristoff.

"Be careful out there," Bulda said.

"We will," Kristoff replied, "and we'll come back as soon as this is all over."

"Besides," Anna said, "after what we've already been through, what more could happen?"

"Okay, Sven," Kristoff said as he picked up the reins. "Let's go help Elsa."

As the trolls waved goodbye, Sven pulled the sled in a horseshoe-shaped arc to turn it around and then headed out of the valley, racing back in the direction they had come from. As they traveled away from the warmth of the valley, Anna noticed that the snow was quickly piling up. She knew that Elsa had control of her powers now, so this winter weather was no accident. She wanted to give Elsa the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn't imagine what could possibly lead Elsa to do something so drastic. As she watched the summer disappear before her eyes, Anna couldn't help but wonder if this winter wouldn't be happening if she were there with Elsa now.


	13. Chapter 13

Queen Elsa spent the remainder of the afternoon in conference with her advisors, trying to devise a plan to counter the apparent threat from the Southern Isles. Lars was there as well. The old men were all suspicious of the visitor from Weselton, but Elsa allowed him to remain and they weren't about to question her. Lars wasn't entirely sure why he was there either, but Elsa had asked him to stay and he wasn't about to refuse. Lars knew his place and tried to simply observe, but as the afternoon wore on, Elsa began asking for his opinion on nearly everything the advisors said. Lars did his best to help, though he knew he was no great military mind and he had limited experience. One thing was clear, though: Arendelle was woefully unprepared for war.

Elsa's initial instinct was to simply maintain her wall of ice and wait out the Southern Isles. She thought could easily repair any damage they did to the ice wall, and eventually they would run out of supplies and have to give up and return home. But, the longer Anna and Kristoff were outside the wall, the longer they were in danger, so waiting out the enemy wasn't really an option, and Lars had pointed out that the Southern Isles were well aware of her powers and wouldn't have come if they weren't prepared for them, so her wall might not be enough to keep them out. Elsa knew eventually she would have to _do_ something; she just didn't know what.

Even after hours of strategizing, there were still only two real courses of action, short of outright surrender. Arendelle could either try to fortify itself and wait for the inevitable attack, or it could take the offensive and bring the fight to the Southern Isles fleet at Lillehaven. The former option was conservative and carried less risk, but it meant facing the enemy forces on their terms, and if something went wrong there would be nowhere to fall back to. Attacking would be riskier, but it would give them the element of surprise and they might catch the enemy unprepared. If the attack failed, there would still be a possibility of falling back to defend Arendelle, but it was also possible that their forces would be entirely defeated in Lillehaven and that Arendelle would fall then and there.

Elsa didn't know what to do. She was terrified of making the wrong decision. The advisors had run out of ideas and were starting to repeat themselves. It was now well into the evening and Elsa was too tired and hungry to concentrate. She told her advisors to prepare their forces for either plan and that she would have a decision by morning. The advisors left to carry out her instructions, leaving Elsa and Lars alone in the study.

"Thank you for staying to help, Sir Lars," Elsa said. "I appreciate your input."

"Of course," Lars said.

"I'm sorry you're stuck here in Arendelle in the middle of all this," Elsa said.

"It's not your fault," Lars said, "and I can think of worse places to be stuck."

Elsa smiled at Lars briefly before she caught herself and regained her poise. They each hesitated, waiting for the other to say something. In the end, it was Lars who broke the awkward silence.

"May I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Please," Elsa said.

"Why _did_ you ask me to stay?," Lars asked. "You have plenty of advisors. Don't you trust them?"

"They served my father, and he trusted them. I suppose that should be enough," Elsa said. "But I don't know what I'm doing. I was never prepared for this."

"You were always destined to be queen," Lars said. "Surely you must have been taught what you would need to know."

"I was only taught to be a princess," Elsa said with a sigh. "There was supposed to be more time. I wasn't supposed to become queen for decades. Military strategy wasn't a high priority, especially since I never expected to need it because Arendelle is peaceful. I don't even think any of my advisors were alive the last time Arendelle was at war. But, how can I make a decision based on their advice if I don't fully understand it? And, I'm their queen. If I make a bad decision, will they question it? I don't know if _they_ would, but I'm sure _you_ would."

"How come?" Lars asked.

"I don't know," Elsa admitted. "Maybe it's because of what you've already done: the effort you made simply to get a chance to meet with me, knowing that I might have just slammed the door in your face. There's only one other person I know who would do something like that, and she'd never let me do something she knew was wrong."

"Well then," Lars said, "I'm honored to be included in such elite company."

Lars looked over the large map of Arendelle that had been unrolled and was now sprawled across a table. Pieces from a chess set had been placed on it to represent the ships from the Southern Isles, the wall of ice Elsa had erected, and other relevant positions that weren't already on the map. Lars tried to determine if there was anything that had been overlooked.

"There's something about all this that still doesn't make sense to me," Lars said.

"What's that?" Elsa asked.

"Why didn't the Southern Isles send more ships?" Lars asked rhetorically. "Six frigates are formidable, but not necessarily insurmountable."

"Maybe that's all they could send," Elsa offered.

"Have you ever been to the Southern Isles?" Lars asked.

"No, I haven't," Elsa replied.

"Well, I have," Lars said. "They have more ships there than you could possibly imagine. For them, this is nothing. If they want to invade Arendelle, why not send an overwhelming force?"

"I don't know." Elsa said.

"And for that matter, why invade Arendelle at all?" Lars continued. "No offense, but Arendelle's location isn't particularly strategic, and you don't have any goods or resources that can't be found elsewhere. What are your main exports? Textiles, lumber, furniture, seafood and ice. They're all valuable in trade but they aren't worth starting a war over. Anything the Southern Isles would really want, Arendelle has to import from somewhere else."

"Maybe they just want to plunder Arendelle and rob the treasury," Elsa said. "Maybe that's what that big ship is for: to bring back the spoils of war."

"I can't imagine your treasury is large enough to justify a ship that big," Lars said. "No, that can't be it. We have to be missing something."

"Even if we are, I don't see how it would change my options," Elsa said.

"You're right, it doesn't," Lars agreed. "You still have a choice to make."

"What would you do?" Elsa asked.

"It's a tough decision.," Lars said. "Normally, I'd say that the conservative plan is more prudent, but you have an advantage that you never mentioned, and that your advisors all seemed too afraid to bring up."

"What's that?" Elsa asked.

"Your powers," Lars said. "You are powerful. If you led the attack and used your powers to fight for Arendelle, you could win this."

"I can't..." Elsa said, looking away.

"Why not?" Lars asked.

"I don't want my powers to hurt anyone," Elsa said.

"Of course you don't," Lars said. "You didn't ask for this fight, but don't you owe it to your people to do everything you can to protect them? How is using your powers any different than sending soldiers with swords and arrows into battle?"

"It just is," Elsa said. "I don't expect you to understand."

Lars realized that he had inadvertently brought up a sensitive topic. Even though he knew it might have been better to avoid the issue as the advisors had, Lars couldn't ignore what to him seemed like the obvious strategy. Now, in the uncomfortable silence, he wondered if it had really been worth bringing up.

"Maybe I should go," Lars said.

"You don't have to," Elsa said.

"No, it's getting late, and I'm rather hungry," Lars said.

Elsa noticed she was hungry herself, but she was dreading another solitary meal in the empty dining hall. Lunch had been bad enough, and that was before she had the fate of Arendelle and the safety of her sister to worry about. Now just the thought of being left by herself made her feel anxious.

"If you'd like..." Elsa began, then found herself stammering, "you could... I mean, would you like to... um... join me for... uh..."

"Your Majesty," Lars interrupted to Elsa's relief, "are you trying to invite me to dinner?"

"I am," Elsa said, blushing. She then abruptly turned solemn. "I... don't want to be alone."

"Well, in that case," Lars said with a reassuring smile, "how could I refuse an invitation from the queen?"


	14. Chapter 14

The wheeled sled bounced over the snowdrifts as Sven raced Kristoff, Anna and Olaf back toward the palace. The snow and frigid wind stung Anna's cheeks. She was dressed for summer travel and was quite cold, but she had been colder. She was also far too worried about her sister to be concerned about her own comfort. The rough ride was more than simply uncomfortable, however. Anna had to clutch the dashboard to keep from being thrown from the sled with every bump.

The sled suddenly hit a particularly large snowdrift, nearly throwing Anna out of her seat and bouncing Olaf's head off of his body and into Anna's lap.

"Hi!" Olaf said, looking up at the surprised Anna.

"You know," Anna said to Kristoff as she returned Olaf's head to his body, "I don't remember ever having this rough of a ride with you before."

"It's because we're on wheels in the snow," Kristoff explained. "The runners would be smoother and faster, but we're in a hurry and it would take more time to switch than we'd save."

"Well," Anna said as they hit another bump, "maybe you should put in something to keep us from being bounced off of the sled."

"You want to be tied to the seat?" Kristoff asked.

"It sounds silly when you say it like that," Anna said. She motioned to her waist. "I'm just talking about something across here."

"You mean like a belt?" Kristoff asked.

"No, not a belt," Anna said. "More like a... um..." Anna thought for a moment, trying to come up with a better word to describe her idea, but nothing seemed right. "Okay, fine, I guess it's like a belt, but it keeps you from falling out of your seat. I don't know what to call it."

"Well, don't look at me," Kristoff said. "It's your idea. How am I supposed to know what to call it?"

"I don't think I can wear a belt," said Olaf. He looked down at his stubby legs. "Or pants."

The conversation came to an abrupt end as they crested the top of a rise. They were shocked to see something ahead of them that they never expected. A massive wall of ice blocked their path, stretching as far as they could see in either direction. Anna and Kristoff exchanged worried glances. Kristoff pulled on the reins to signal Sven to slow down and they came to a stop at the base of the wall.

"What _is_ this?" Anna asked rhetorically as she climbed down off the sled.

"Um, I might be wrong, but it looks like a giant wall of ice," Olaf replied. He jumped down from the sled. "Hey, do you think Elsa made it?"

"Of course Elsa made it," Kristoff said, rummaging around in the sled. He found what he was looking for, a carrot, and hopped off the sled. He broke a piece off the end of the carrot which he tossed to Anna before taking a bite of the carrot and giving the rest to Sven.

"But why would Elsa do this?" Anna asked before eating her share of the carrot.

"I'd say she either wants to keep something in, or keep something out," Kristoff replied.

"Well, we have to get inside," Anna said, her mouth still full. She swallowed. "Can we climb over it?"

"I didn't pack any climbing gear," Kristoff said. "We weren't planning on doing any climbing. I might have a rope, but there's nothing to anchor it to."

Anna retrieved a bottle of Oaken Cola from the sled and took a drink to wash the carrot down with. The cold weather had chilled the liquid, and Anna decided it was better that way. Meanwhile, Kristoff examined the ice wall. It was perfectly smooth, with no cracks or joints. Despite the snow that had been driven up against the base of the wall by the wind, Kristoff could tell that the wall was thicker at the base than it was at the top with a slight slope, though it was still far too steep to climb without at least an anchored rope. The top of the wall was flat with a slight accumulation of snow, but nothing to tie a rope to, even if they could get up there.

Neither Anna nor Kristoff noticed that Olaf had wandered off. The diminutive snowman had slowly made his way up to the top of the rise from where they had first seen the ice wall. He looked around for the steepest slope down to the wall. Once he was satisfied that he had found it, he dove off the top of the rise down the slope, sliding head-first on his belly toward the wall and quickly picking up speed. The snow that had piled up at the base of the wall formed a ramp that launched Olaf upwards along the wall. He had just enough momentum to grab onto the edge of the top of the wall and hoist himself up.

"Hey, guys," Olaf called out, "I don't know if this helps, but I'm on top of the wall!"

"Olaf!" Anna exclaimed. "How did you get up there?"

"Never mind how he got up there," Kristoff said. "Olaf, if I throw you a rope, do you see anything on the other side you could tie it to?"

"Hmm, let me see," Olaf said, looking over the other side of the wall.

The ground began to rumble. It was faint at first, but it quickly built in intensity. As the sound grew louder and the vibrations intensified, Anna and Kristoff started looking around, trying to figure out what was happening.

"What is that?" Anna asked.

A dozen soldiers on horseback suddenly thundered over the top of the rise and headed right for them. Before Anna and Kristoff realized what was happening, the soldiers had closed in around them, cutting off any means of escape. The soldiers jumped off their horses and drew their swords. They split up to separate Kristoff from Anna. Kristoff desperately looked around for something he could use as a weapon to defend himself and Anna, but there was nothing around him but snow. He quickly found himself surrounded by a half-dozen swords with his back against the wall of ice.

Meanwhile, Anna was facing off against the remaining soldiers. One of them tried to approach her, sword in hand. She was still holding the bottle of Oaken Cola and desperately swung it, holding it by the neck. The bottle struck the solder in the temple and shattered, and the soldier fell down in pain. The other soldiers tried to respond, but Anna held them off, brandishing the jagged remains of the broken bottle at arm's-length.

The officer in charge of the soldiers grabbed Kristoff and drug him out where Anna could clearly see him. He forced Kristoff to his knees and motioned for two of his men to hold him there. He then drew his sword and held it against Kristoff's neck.

"Drop it," the officer said to Anna, "or I kill him."

"I am Princess Anna of Arendelle," Anna protested. "I demand you release him at once!"

Kristoff had never heard Anna try to use her title to intimidate others into submission. The authority in her voice certainly got his attention, but it didn't seem to have the same effect on the officer.

"I know who you are," the officer replied. "I have orders to capture you if I get the chance." He looked at Kristoff. "My orders don't say anything about him." He turned back to Anna and pressed the sword against Kristoff's throat. "Now, drop it, or your marriage comes to an abrupt end."

Anna considered her adversary. She recognized the uniform as being from the Southern Isles, and the stripes on his sleeve indicated he was a lieutenant. She looked into his eyes, and she knew he wasn't bluffing. Besides, she was vastly outnumbered and was armed only with a broken bottle. Reluctantly, she dropped the bottle in the snow, defeated.

"Just wait until my sister hears about this, Lieutenant...?" Anna said as the soldiers tied her wrists together and did the same to Kristoff.

"Lieutenant Verner," the officer replied, introducing himself before giving Anna a snide grin, "and I believe that's part of the plan."

Suddenly, a snowball came out of nowhere and struck Lieutenant Verner in the face. He wiped the snow away and looked up to see the snowman on top of the ice wall.

"You leave my friends alone!" Olaf shouted.

"Olaf!" Anna exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Anna!" Olaf said. "I'll save you!"

"No!" Anna yelled back. "Go tell Elsa!"

"Yes, Snowman," Verner shouted. "You tell Queen Elsa that if she ever wants to see her sister or the ice harvester alive again, she has until tomorrow to surrender Arendelle to the Southern Isles."

"Wait, what?" Anna said in surprise.

"Right," Olaf said. "I'll tell Elsa."

"Olaf, wait!" Kristoff said, but before anyone could say anything else, Olaf jumped off the top of the wall and began running toward the distant castle as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Meanwhile, Sven was still harnessed to the sled. He began to buck in an attempt to free himself to help Kristoff and Anna. The soldiers tried to restrain him, but the powerful reindeer was too much for them.

"What do we do about the reindeer?" one of the soldiers asked.

"We have no need for it," replied Verner. "Just tie it up and leave it."

The soldiers managed to get a heavy loop of rope around Sven's neck and tied the other end to a sturdy tree. Sven strained against the rope, but struggling only served to tighten the knot around his neck, and he had to accept the restraint.

"Sven!" Kristoff called out as he and Anna were being dragged away. "Don't be afraid. It'll be okay."

As the soldiers led Kristoff and Anna away, the reindeer watched until they disappeared over the top of the rise. Sven then found himself very much alone for the first time. He and Kristoff had almost always been together, and when they weren't, Sven always knew Kristoff would leave him in a safe place. Now he was left alone and tied up, with no way to even find food or shelter. Despite Kristoff's parting words, Sven was scared.

Sven heard movement coming from the sled. He twisted his neck around to look and was surprised to see two young trolls peeking back at him over the top of the seat. They had hidden in the back of the sled while playing hide and seek with Olaf. Olaf had said to stay hidden until he found them, and since Olaf never officially ended the game, that is exactly what they did, and they remained hidden from the soldiers out of fear and simple instinct. Now, with only Sven around to see them, they cautiously emerged from their hiding place and climbed down out of the sled.

"They're taking them to Lillehaven," one of the trolls said, pointing at the tracks leading away from the scene.

"How do you know?" asked the other troll.

"Because I've earned my tracking crystal," replied the first troll.

"Don't worry, Sven," said the second troll. "We'll tell Grand Pabbie. He'll know what to do."

The two trolls curled up into round boulders and rolled off toward the Valley of the Living Rock. Sven watched them go and slumped down in the snow, frustrated that the little trolls hadn't thought to untie him before they left.


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa and Lars sat at opposite ends of the long banquet table in the dining hall. Elsa, of course, always sat at the head of the table. Kai had seated Lars at the far end out of a rigid sense of formality, or possibly revenge. Lars could tell that Kai did not like him, and he knew that calling out the steward for saying "Weasel Town" hadn't made things any better. The distance made conversation difficult, leading them to sip their soup in relative silence as they stared at each other across the table.

"Are you enjoying the soup?" Elsa asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"I'm sorry?" Lars replied. From the opposite end of the table, he hadn't heard her clearly.

"I asked if you like the soup," Elsa said loudly. "It's one of the chef's specialties."

"Oh, yes, it's delicious," Lars said with equal volume.

Elsa was finding the current situation unacceptable. She had invited Lars to join her because she didn't want to be alone, but having to shout across the room just for simple conversation was almost as unbearable.

"This is ridiculous," Elsa said. She motioned to the seat on her right at the corner of the table. "Please, come sit here."

"Well, if you insist," Lars said. He gathered up his place setting and moved to the new seat.

"There, isn't that better?" Elsa asked as Lars sat down.

"Yes, much," Lars said, nervously fumbling with his silverware.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked.

"I'm fine," Lars replied. "I've just never had dinner with a queen before, let alone one with magical powers. I guess I'm a little nervous."

"There's no need to be nervous," Elsa said reassuringly. "Aside from my powers, I'm completely ordinary."

"Ordinary isn't a word I would ever use to describe you," Lars said. "You're smart, caring, and very beautiful. I'd say you're quite extraordinary."

"Thank you," Elsa said, blushing, "but I'm still far from perfect."

"Prove it," Lars said. "Tell me your story."

"Everyone knows my story," Elsa replied.

"Everyone knows the _Snow Queen's_ story," Lars said. "I want to hear _Elsa's_ story. Tell me something everyone _doesn't_ know."

"Well..." Elsa thought for a second, "I don't know how to swim."

"Really?" Lars asked in surprise. "You live in a castle surrounded by water, and you've never learned to swim?"

"I used to have trouble controlling my powers," Elsa said. "I had to be in the right mood just to be able to take a bath. Learning to swim was out of the question. The fjord would have frozen solid the instant my toes touched the water."

"But you don't have that problem anymore," Lars pointed out. "You could learn now."

"I suppose I could," Elsa said. "I guess I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Now it's your turn, _Sir_ Lars. I assume your title is honorary. How did you get it?"

"I was actually knighted for heroism," Lars replied.

"Aren't you a little short for a knight?" Elsa teased.

"I'm really just a palace guard," Lars said.

"Why are you so modest?" Elsa asked. "If you were knighted for heroism, I'd think that's a story you'd be eager to tell."

"It's really not that great of a story," Lars said.

"Please, tell me," Elsa said, leaning in.

"All right," Lars relented. "When I was a little boy, I read stories with heroic knights who fought monsters and rescued princesses."

"I used to read stories like that, too," Elsa said.

"Did you like them?" Lars asked.

"I liked that the princess always got a happy ending," Elsa replied. "It gave me hope that maybe I could have one too."

"I always dreamed of becoming a knight, just the ones in those stories," Lars said. "I wanted to stand up for what's right and fight against evil."

"But knights like that don't exist anymore," Elsa said.

"Eventually I figured that out," Lars said. "So I did the closest thing I could. I became a guard at the Duke's palace, and I hoped that someday I would have a chance to do something heroic enough that I would be knighted."

"Well apparently you did. What was it?" Elsa asked.

"One day, a few months ago, I was one of the guards assigned to accompany the tax collector's wagon as he made his rounds," Lars said. "We were on our way back to the palace when we were ambushed by robbers. The other guards and I easily fought them off and when they ran we all chased after them. But something about the situation didn't seem right to me. It had been too easy, and I realized we had left the tax collector unprotected. I broke away from the others and turned back and when I got there I found another group robbing the tax collector. The first group had just been a decoy to draw us away. When they saw me they took off in another direction with the tax money, and I had to chase them alone because I would have lost the trail if I'd waited for help."

"The Duke deserves to have his tax money stolen," Elsa muttered bitterly.

"I know what you think of him," Lars said, "but he really does use the tax money to help the people. He funds roads and schools, and his palace employs a lot of people. Sure, he mainly does it to impress foreign visitors he wants to trade with, but the people still benefit."

"Apparently, they don't benefit enough, or they wouldn't want to steal from him," Elsa replied.

"Well, this _was_ after you cut off trade with Weselton, so there wasn't as much tax revenue as there used to be," Lars said. "He did have to cut back, and people weren't happy about it."

Elsa wasn't interested in getting into a political debate with Lars; but she did want to hear how his story ended.

"Just go on with the story," she said.

"Eventually I tracked the robbers to an old cabin in the woods where the first group was waiting," Lars continued. "I didn't know how long they would be there. If I went back for the other guards, they might have been gone by the time we got back. I let them think they had gotten away with it and waited until the middle of the night. While I waited, I rigged my crossbow with a fuse to fire itself. I also made torches, and once it was dark I set up the torches in the woods surrounding the cabin. When I was ready, I lit all the torches and the fuse and then went up and pounded on the front door with my sword drawn. I told them they were surrounded and if they surrendered peacefully they wouldn't be harmed. I knew they could see the torches all around them. One of them opened the door a crack and asked me if they were really surrounded. Then my crossbow fired an arrow into the side of the cabin, and he was convinced. They all surrendered and let me tie them up. I couldn't believe it worked. Only after I had them all in custody did I reveal that I was alone."

"That's incredible!" Elsa exclaimed.

"Yeah," Lars said, "I can still see the faces of the other guards as I single-handedly marched the robbers though the palace gates while carrying the stolen tax money. They were all stunned, and the Duke was so proud. Weselton really needed something to celebrate, so he wasted no time arranging for me to be knighted. The day of the ceremony was the happiest day of my life."

"That is an amazing story," Elsa said. "Why were you so reluctant to share it?"

"The story's not finished," Lars said. He hesitated before continuing. "After the ceremony, it seemed like everyone in Weselton wanted to buy me a drink. I found myself celebrating in a tavern, and there was a barmaid there who kept glaring at me. I'd never met her, but she seemed to be angry at me. Eventually I asked her what was wrong. She told me that her husband was one of the robbers I had captured. It turns out that they weren't simply a gang of outlaws. They were all people whose jobs had disappeared when Arendelle cut off trade with Weselton; and they were just desperate to feed their families." Lars looked away, shamefully. "All of a sudden, the honor I was so proud of had become tainted, because I had gotten it at the expense of the kind of people I wanted to help."

"But they did rob the tax collector," Elsa pointed out. "That wasn't your fault."

"You're right," Lars said, "it's not my fault." He looked Elsa straight in the eyes. "It's yours."

"Wh..wait, what?" Elsa stammered in surprise. The last thing she expected was for Lars to put the blame on _her_.

Lars immediately regretted what he had said. He hadn't meant to be so blunt. He had come to Arendelle expecting the queen to be cold-hearted and unreasonable, but he had discovered that wasn't the case at all. He _liked_ her. He didn't want to argue with her, but telling his story reminded him why he had come to Arendelle in the first place. He couldn't let his feelings get in the way, but he realized he had overcompensated.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't fair," Lars said apologetically. "What the Duke did _was_ wrong, and you're _not_ wrong to want to punish him, but that doesn't mean what's happened to Weselton is right. So many people have lost their jobs, or can't trade their goods for things they need to survive, and it isn't their fault. They are good people. Not everyone in Weselton is like the Duke. They didn't choose him as their leader. Weselton isn't one of those new democracies where the people can vote out their leaders on a whim when they make a mistake."

Elsa remembered that Lars had started to make a similar argument before, and she had to admit that he had a good point. Still, she had trouble accepting that all of Weselton's supposed problems were the result of her embargo. Arendelle's trade might have been important to Weselton, but she knew Weselton had many other trading partners.

"The loss of Arendelle's trade couldn't have had that much of an effect," Elsa replied dryly.

"It wasn't just Arendelle," Lars said. "You may not realize it, but your powers give you tremendous influence over the affairs of other lands. When Arendelle cut off trade with Weselton, many of our other trading partners either cut us off as well or severely cut back on their trade with us. They don't want you to think they're siding against you."

"They're afraid of me?" Elsa asked.

"Some of them are," Lars said. "Some of them don't know what to think. But, they all know what you're capable of. They call you the Ice Queen."

"I don't like to be called that," Elsa snapped.

"I'm sorry," Lars said. "That is the nicest thing they call you, though. I wouldn't dare say any of the others in front of you."

"I never wanted to be feared," Elsa said. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

"I know," Lars said. "But I've learned that right and wrong aren't always as clear as they were in those old stories. Even though I know I didn't do anything wrong, ever since I found out who those robbers really were, I've wondered if things might have been better if I'd let them get away. If I'd known who they were at the time, would I have still arrested them for robbing the tax collector, or would I have let them go so their families wouldn't starve? I'm not sure what I would've done. I'm not even sure I really deserved to be knighted."

"But you still use the title," Elsa pointed out.

"Yeah, I do," Lars admitted. "I thought about renouncing it, but it's everything I ever wanted. How could I just give it up? I just want to feel like I deserve it. I thought if I could do something for the people of Weselton that would keep anyone else from having to do something so desperate, then maybe that would be enough to make a difference. I doubt restoring trade with Arendelle would be worth a knighthood, but maybe it would make me feel less guilty."

"That's why you came here," Elsa said, understanding. "You wanted to try to make things right."

"Exactly," Lars replied, relieved that Elsa seemed to appreciate how he felt.

For a moment, the two of them simply looked into each other's eyes. Elsa realized that she understood better than anyone what Lars was trying to do. She felt like she had plenty to atone for herself. She wasn't sure if her people had ever truly forgiven her for freezing Arendelle the first time. She wondered if there was anything she could ever do to make up for that. She didn't think anyone else could understand how she felt. But Lars understood.

Elsa eventually noticed that it had been a long time since either of them had said anything. She decided it was up to her to resume the conversation.

"So, the Duke just let you come to Arendelle to try to talk to me?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, he never would have agreed to this," Lars said. "My uncle has no idea I'm here."

Elsa had just dipped her spoon into her bowl of soup when Lars said that, and the soup instantly froze solid. Elsa dropped the spoon, but instead of falling the spoon simply hung in the air, supported by the frozen soup.

"Wait, the Duke of Weselton is your uncle?" Elsa asked in shock.

"Did I not mention that?" Lars asked sheepishly.

"No, you didn't," Elsa said angrily. She stood up from the table and turned away from Lars. "Oh, I knew this was a bad idea," she muttered to herself.

"Okay, yes," Lars said, trying to explain, "my mother is the Duke's sister, but she knew she'd never inherit his title so she lived her own life and married a humble merchant."

"And your father is a merchant?" Elsa asked incredulously. "It's no wonder you want to restore trade with Arendelle. You're just looking out for yourself, just like the Duke."

"That's not true!" Lars protested. "Sure, trade with Arendelle would be good for my family, but that's not the only reason I came."

Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall burst open and a diminutive snowman came running in, gasping for breath.

"Elsa! Elsa!" Olaf shouted between gasps.

"Olaf? Where have you been?" Elsa asked.

"I hid in the sled so I could go with Anna and Kristoff," Olaf said.

"You were with Anna and Kristoff?" Elsa asked. "How did you get back here?"

"We came back to help you, but they couldn't get over the ice wall," Olaf replied.

"Where are they now?" Elsa asked. "I'll go let them in."

"They were captured by soldiers!" Olaf explained. "They said if you ever want to see them again, you have to surrender Arendelle to the Southern Isles by tomorrow."

"What? No!" Elsa exclaimed. She turned toward the windows and looked wistfully out into the distance. "Anna!" she futilely called out in desperation.

The temperature in the room started to drop, but Elsa didn't notice. She knew she had to save Anna. Nothing else mattered now.

"Elsa, no!" Lars said, noticing the look of resignation on Elsa's face. "I know what you're thinking. You can't accept those terms."

"I am the queen of Arendelle," Elsa said. "I can accept whatever terms I please."

"But you can't trust someone who would do something like this," Lars said.

"They have Anna," Elsa said. "I have to save her."

Elsa abruptly rushed out of the dining hall. Lars went after her and the confused snowman followed.

"What about Arendelle?" Lars asked as he chased Elsa down the dimly-lit hallway toward the grand staircase. "What about your people? Are you just going to abandon them and leave them at the mercy of the Southern Isles?"

"If I have to choose between defending Arendelle and saving my sister, I have to save my sister," Elsa replied without looking back as she started up the stairs.

"You can do both," Lars said, looking up from the bottom of the stairs. "You're powerful enough to stop the Southern Isles _and_ rescue your sister."

Elsa stopped at a landing and looked down at Lars.

"And what if I fail?" she asked.

"You won't," Lars said. "I believe in you. Your powers..."

"You don't understand," Elsa said, cutting Lars off. She turned away to look toward a window that was further up the stairs. "My powers are linked to my emotions. Fear makes them hard to control, and I'm afraid that if anything happens to Anna, I'll never be able to stop this winter, and Arendelle will stay frozen forever."

Lars hadn't realized that Elsa didn't have complete control of her powers. He didn't know what to say to reassure her.

"Just go, please," Elsa said sadly as she resumed climbing the stairs. "I'm sure you'll get better trade terms from the Southern Isles than you would from me, anyway. I know that's all you really care about."

Lars watched Elsa in silence until she disappeared up the stairs. Eventually he noticed the living snowman standing at his side.

"Hi! I'm Olaf!" the snowman said, reaching out with one of his stick arms.

"I'm Lars," replied Lars, shaking the snowman's hand and thinking it was probably the strangest thing he had ever done.

"Are you a friend of Elsa's?" Olaf asked.

Lars looked back up the stairs where Elsa had gone.

"I'm not sure what I am," he replied.


	16. Chapter 16

Anna and Kristoff shivered as they trudged forlornly through the snow, surrounded by Lieutenant Verner and his soldiers from the Southern Isles who were all comfortably mounted on horseback. Neither Anna nor Kristoff were dressed for winter, and they were both very cold. Anna's toes were going numb in her light summer shoes. Even though she knew she had been colder, that was of little comfort. She found herself silently cursing her sister for creating another winter storm before reminding herself that Elsa wouldn't have done it unless she was in danger. There was no longer any doubt in Anna's mind that Elsa was in danger. They were all in danger.

"Where are you taking us?" Anna asked Verner.

"Silence!" the lieutenant snapped in response.

The forest suddenly opened up into a clearing and they found themselves approaching a small village on a narrow fjord. The tiny rustic cottages and sheds were more primitive than the houses in the city near the castle that Anna was used to seeing.

"Where are we?" Anna whispered to Kristoff.

"This is Lillehaven," Kristoff whispered back.

"Lillehaven?" Anna thought back to her geography lessons. "That's on the edge of Arendelle. Why would they bring us here?"

"Well, your sister did put up a wall," Kristoff pointed out. "Lillehaven is the next closest port."

As they were led through the village, Anna noticed that soldiers in Southern Isles uniforms vastly outnumbered the residents of Lillehaven. Still dressed in their summer clothing, the townsfolk had been put to work in the cold weather tending horses, preparing food, and moving supplies for the invaders. Occasionally, Anna's eyes met those of one of toiling citizens, and she could feel their hopelessness and despair. She wondered if any of them realized who she was. She thought about calling attention to herself, but she didn't really think it would improve her situation and she realized that knowing their princess was imprisoned would just add to the people's misery.

At the Lillehaven waterfront, a single wooden dock jutted out into the fjord. Tied to the dock was the largest ship either Anna or Kristoff had ever seen. Its four masts towered like trees over the massive dark hull. Anna squinted up at the flag at the top of the main mast. It was a blue pennant with a gold fleur-de-lis. Anna recognized it as the flag of the Southern Isles. She looked out at the fjord, where four smaller frigates sat at anchor, all flying the same flag.

Anna and Kristoff were marched down the dock and up the gangplank onto the huge vessel. Kristoff was surprised to find that much of the main deck was taken up with large cargo hatches. The hatches were all securely closed and covered, so he couldn't get a look down into the hold, but it made him curious as to what cargo the ship was intended to carry. They were led toward the stern of the ship and down a ladder to a small brig that was separated from the cargo hold by a bulkhead with a door secured by heavy crossbars. Oil lanterns on the bulkhead provided dim lighting and also managed to keep the confined space slightly warmer than the frigid weather outside. A gate of iron bars formed a cell that Anna and Kristoff promptly found themselves locked inside.

The cell was small and spartan. Aside from the iron gate, the walls were bare wood. The only furnishing was a single narrow wooden bench secured along one wall, offering sleeping space for only one person. A tiny barred window high on the back wall let in the cold air from the outside.

"What is the meaning of this?" Anna asked Verner.

"You'll find out soon enough," Verner replied.

Another figure descended the ladder, his back to them. He wore a different uniform than the other Southern Isles soldiers, and Anna reasoned it was a Southern Isles naval uniform, though as he reached the bottom of the ladder and started to turn, Anna noticed there was no rank insignia on the sleeves of his jacket. He was carrying a tray, which he looked down at as he turned. Between his posture and the dim lighting, Anna could not clearly see his face. Eventually he looked up, and Anna saw a face she had hoped never to see again.

"Hans," Anna hissed. "I should have known."

"Hello, Anna," Hans said, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

Anna noticed there was something different about Hans. It was almost as if he was another person. Gone was the confidence and the arrogance that she had seen in him before. Now he seemed timid, almost broken. He could barely look her in the eye. She wasn't sure what to make of him. She wasn't about to let herself fall for another one of his tricks.

"I brought you something to eat," Hans said.

Hans set the tray down on the floor in front of the cell and slid it under the gate. On the tray were some rations and a couple of tin cups filled with water.

"It's going to be a little hard to eat like this," Anna said, holding up her arms to show that her wrists were still tied together.

Hans glanced at Verner.

"Really?" Hans asked Verner, who simply shrugged in response. Hans turned back to Anna. "Here," he said, reaching through the bars to untie her.

"Why are you doing this?" Anna asked.

"I thought you might be hungry," Hans replied as he untied Kristoff.

"Not _that_ ," Anna said. "Why did you come here? Why did you have us captured?"

"None of this was my idea," Hans said. "After what happened, do you really think I would ever want to return to Arendelle?"

"You tried to take over Arendelle once," Anna said angrily. "Why wouldn't you try again?"

"Your people would never accept me as their king now," Hans said. "They all know what I did." He looked Anna in the eye and held her gaze for the first time. "I know it won't make up for anything, but I want you to know I'm sorry, for everything."

Anna didn't know what to say. She never expected Hans to apologize. She was even more surprised that he actually seemed sincere. Still, she had trouble believing him. He had tricked her before.

"You're just sorry you got caught," Anna eventually said, practically spitting the words at him.

"Maybe you're right," Hans said. "I'm not sure I could tell the difference. But, I still didn't want to come back to Arendelle."

"Why should I believe you?" Anna asked angrily.

"Because he's telling the truth," came a voice from the top of the ladder.

A figure in a dark gray cloak climbed down the ladder and turned to face them. Beneath the cloak he was dressed in a gray Southern Isles military uniform. A broadsword hung off his belt in a scabbard. A helmet made of a dull silver-colored scale-like material sat incongruously on his head. Anna thought the helmet looked like something out of a museum, or maybe an illustration from a book of ancient myths. The man walked up to the cell without hesitation, roughly shoving Hans out of the way.

"Princess Anna of Arendelle, I presume?" the stranger began. "It is an honor to meet you. I am Prince Anton of the Southern Isles. Welcome aboard the _Valkyrie_."

Prince Anton looked very much like his brother Hans, though he was visibly older and had a more muscular build and dark brown hair that was almost black. His pointed nose was bent downwards as if it had been broken in the past and had not healed correctly. But what Anna was most struck by was the way he spoke. Though the words themselves were perfectly cordial and exactly what she would expect to hear from a prince, he spat them with such unveiled contempt that for a moment she was taken aback and found herself speechless. That moment quickly passed, however, and her sense of outrage returned.

"You have some nerve invading Arendelle, enslaving the people of Lillehaven and locking up the crown princess!" Anna said angrily.

"And me," Kristoff added sheepishly.

"Yeah! And him!" Anna shouted, pointing at Kristoff.

"Ah, you have such spirit!" Anton said with an evil grin. "I like it!" He turned to Hans. "You should have married her when you had the chance." Without giving Hans a chance to respond, Anton moved on to Lieutenant Verner. "Did they give you any trouble?" he asked.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, sir," Verner replied. "We found them right where you said we would. Patrolling the wall was a brilliant strategy."

"Of course it was," Anton said smugly. "Well done, Verner. You may go."

"Yes, sir," said Verner. He motioned to his men to follow him up the ladder, leaving only Anton and Hans.

"I am sorry if Verner was a bit rough with you," Anton said to Anna, though she found his apology insincere. "I want you to know that I don't really think of the two of you as prisoners. You're more like guests."

"If we're guests, that must mean we're free to leave," Anna said defiantly.

"I said you're _like_ guests," Anton replied. "There is a difference. But, rest assured you will be treated well as long as you're here."

"So, why _are_ we here?" Anna asked. "Is this part of some plan to restore your brother's reputation after what he did?"

"This isn't about Hans," Anton said. "I don't care about _his_ reputation. He's only here because he's been to Arendelle before, and I thought that might make him useful, so I asked my brother Fredrick to assign Hans to me as my assistant. Hans is in no position to resist. He's been sentenced to hard labor ever since her returned from Arendelle. I'm sure this is an improvement over shoveling manure."

"I'd rather be working in the stables than here with you," Hans muttered. "The stable hands were kinder to me than you've ever been. Out of all our brothers, you were always the most cruel."

"Oh, you're still here?" Anton said to Hans, genuinely surprised by his continued presence. "Don't you have something else you should be doing?"

"Yes, Brother," Hans replied submissively.

"Then go," Anton said, shoving Hans toward the ladder with such force that the younger brother stumbled and fell to the deck. Anton chuckled as his brother crashed into the ladder. As Hans got up, Anna saw a look of defeat on his face, and for a split second she actually felt sorry for him before silently reminding herself of what he had done. As Hans climbed up the ladder and disappeared out of sight, Anna realized that he hadn't been lying when he told her about the way his brothers treated him.

"So, if you're not trying to help Hans, what are you doing here?" Anna asked Anton.

"I'm here to restore my own reputation, along with that of the Southern Isles." Anton replied.

"I don't understand," Anna said.

"Then allow me to explain," Anton said. "I am second in line to the throne of the Southern Isles, but with my brother Fredrick destined to be king, I knew I had to make a name for myself. While Fredrick learned the art of diplomacy from our father, I did the dirty work and brought back the spoils of war. I expanded our empire and helped fight for our allies. If there was a battle to be won, I won it, and wherever I went I received a hero's welcome. Now, as you might imagine, I had my choice of any number of available princesses to take as my bride. But I didn't want to marry just any princess; I wanted to marry my way into the throne of a powerful kingdom. After many years, I finally became engaged to the princess of Zaragosa, the heir to the throne of a kingdom whose power rivaled our own. It was a union that would ultimately make me as influential a king as my brother would be."

"Now," Anton continued, "when the Southern Isles first received the invitation to your sister's coronation, we really had no intention of sending anyone at all. Arendelle was too small and insignificant to concern ourselves with. But, Hans volunteered to go, which was no surprise. He volunteered to attend every royal event he heard about in hopes of meeting a princess of his own and marrying his way to a throne, and we let him. After all, how much damage could he possibly do? Well, now we know. When the king and queen of Zaragosa heard what Hans had done, they began to question whether they wanted to be seen associating with anyone from the Southern Isles. They ended up calling off the wedding and sending me away in disgrace. I was upset. I was angry. But, eventually I realized I had other options. Or at least I thought I did. The story of what Hans did in Arendelle had quickly spread throughout the world, and I ended up being judged by my brother's actions rather than my own. I soon found out that despite everything I had done, I wasn't welcome anywhere anymore, and I had no choice but to return home with no prospects and no purpose."

"I agree that's not fair," Anna said, "though it's hard to have any sympathy for you while we're locked in your brig. But, Hans did leave me for dead and try to kill my sister. None of that is Arendelle's fault."

"You're right," Anton agreed. "None of it is your fault. It was Hans. But, nothing I can do to Hans will change anything. Believe me, I've tried. No matter how much we punish Hans, there will still be a powerful queen with the ability to turn any kingdom that opposes her into a frozen wasteland."

"Elsa would never do that!" Anna protested.

"It doesn't matter whether she would or not," Anton said. "It only matters that she _can_. And just look at what she's done to her own land. No one is willing to risk being next, so they've all turned their backs on the Southern Isles."

"So, your father and brother just gave you permission to conquer Arendelle?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Of course not," Anton said. "They don't know anything about this. Fredrick says we need to be patient, and work to restore our relationships diplomatically, and of course our father agrees with Fredrick. He always agrees with Fredrick. But I don't _need_ their permission. These are _my_ ships, and _my_ men, and I will use them to do what my brother won't."

"And you think Elsa's just going to surrender because you have me?" Anna asked.

"No. I don't," Anton replied. "I expect her to fight. But, one way or another, she _will_ come for you. And, when she does, I will be ready for her, and I will _end_ her freezing reign."


	17. Chapter 17

Elsa sat at her desk in her study, looking over the document of surrender she had just finished but had yet to sign. She was disgusted. Not that the document wasn't well written. Elsa was an excellent writer. But, as she read the words she had just written, they sickened her, and as she reminded herself that they were her own words, she felt dirty. The thought of simply handing over Arendelle over to the invaders was abhorrent. But then she thought of Anna, and Elsa knew she had to save her sister. There was nothing more important.

There was a part of Elsa that wanted to fight, to channel all her rage and frustration into her powers and unleash an icy fury upon the forces of the Southern Isles. But, deep down, Elsa knew that she didn't want to hurt anyone, and she doubted that she could bring herself to it if she had to. Elsa's greatest fear, however, was that something might happen to Anna. The ultimatum from the Southern Isles carried the implied threat that they might kill Anna if Elsa refused to surrender, but Elsa was far more worried that in the heat of battle, she might accidently hurt Anna herself. After all, she had done so twice before, under less stressful circumstances, and those memories still haunted her. If she lost Anna because she chose to fight back, Elsa knew she would never be able to forgive herself, leaving her in such despair that she might never be able to thaw Arendelle. That was a risk Elsa wasn't willing to take, and that left her no choice.

Elsa hadn't told anyone what she was planning to do. How could she? What could she say that would make them understand? How would she tell her soldiers, who would be gathered in the courtyard in the morning to hear her plans, that she was giving up without a fight? Elsa didn't have any of those answers yet, so she had to suffer through the agony of her decision alone. Only Sir Lars of Weselton had any idea what she was going to do, and that was only because he had been perceptive enough to figure it out from the look on her face.

There was one thing Lars had said that stuck with Elsa. He had told her that she couldn't trust the Southern Isles to keep their word. Elsa knew that was true. A guarantee of Anna's safety could mean nothing after she had surrendered. Elsa had no idea what would follow. She didn't know if they would still be allowed to live in the castle. She wondered if she would have to tell Anna that they could never come back to the only home they had ever known. They might even be exiled and forced to leave Arendelle. Elsa knew she could build herself another ice palace just about anywhere, but it would be no place for Anna to live. Elsa didn't know if Anna would truly be happy living a humble life in a strange land. Elsa wasn't even certain that she herself would live to see another sunset. If the Southern Isles demanded her execution, that was a price Elsa was willing to pay to save her sister.

Elsa knew that Anna would try to change her mind if she were there. Anna wouldn't want her to do this. Anna would never give up without a fight. Elsa looked up at her father's coronation portrait, still hanging in the study where it had always been because Elsa didn't feel comfortable changing any of the decor; to her, it was still her father's study, not hers. She knew he wouldn't have given up either. Elsa remembered that Lars told her that she was powerful enough to rescue Anna herself without giving in to the demands of the Southern Isles. She considered whether he might be right. She wanted to believe that he was. But then her thoughts drifted back to Anna, and she found herself reminded of all the ways it could all go horribly wrong.

Elsa looked around the room and noticed that snowflakes had formed and were hanging suspended in the air. Her heart sank as she realized she couldn't even consider using her powers to fight if she couldn't even keep them under control in the safety of the castle. With a twist of her wrist, Elsa tried to make the snowflakes evaporate, but nothing happened. She tried to focus on her love for her sister, but her fear for Anna's safety was overwhelming and she only succeeded in producing even more snowflakes. Elsa let out a frustrated sigh as she folder her arms on the desk in front of her and buried her face in them, trying to keep from breaking down in tears she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop.

After a moment, Elsa sat up and looked around again at the snowflakes floating above her. She got up from the desk and walked over to the bay window that looked out over the courtyard and the city beyond. She opened the window to the cool night air and, with a wave of her hand, created a brisk breeze that blew the hovering snowflakes out through the window. Momentarily satisfied, Elsa sat down in front of the open window and looked out over Arendelle, which was quiet in the cold darkness. She had always liked the view from this window. It struck her that this might be the last time she ever sat there. She didn't want to leave.

Elsa looked up at the night sky. The northern lights shimmered overhead. As she looked up at the dancing aurora, Elsa's thoughts drifted back to her childhood and the innocent times before she accidentally hurt Anna when the two sisters still played together. Elsa recalled the way they used to climb out of bed in the middle of the night to have the common areas of the castle all to themselves, with no parents or palace servants to interfere with their fun. Anna had always been fascinated by the mysterious lights in the sky.

"Look, Anna," Elsa whispered softly, remembering. "The sky's awake!"


	18. Chapter 18

"The sky's awake!" Anna said to herself as she peered up at the northern lights through the tiny barred window of the brig of the _Valkyrie_. The colors in the night sky made Anna think of her sister. For a moment, Anna found herself wondering what Elsa was thinking about in that moment, but somehow, she felt certain that Elsa was thinking about her.

"What did you say?" Kristoff asked.

"Oh, nothing," Anna replied.

Kristoff shrugged and returned to his current task at hand, straining against the iron bars that confined them in the hopes of discovering a weakness that would allow him and Anna to escape. Kristoff had already tried without success to remove the bars from the tiny window. Even if he had been successful, it was unlikely even Anna could have squeezed through it, let alone himself. He had then scoured the walls, floor and ceiling for any board that was slightest bit loose or rotten and might provide a means of escape, but again had found nothing. Now he desperately struggled with the solid iron gate in what he was finally beginning to realize was a futile effort. The _Valkyrie_ 's brig was so secure that Prince Anton hadn't even bothered to assign any guards to watch them.

"It's no use," Kristoff finally admitted as he sat down next to Anna, exhausted. "There's no way to break out of here."

"That's okay," Anna said, continuing to look out the window. "Elsa will save us."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Kristoff said.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked. "You don't think she'll come?"

"Oh, no, I'm sure she'll come to save us," Kristoff replied. "She'll just turn Arendelle over to Prince Anton in order to do it."

"Elsa's not going to do that!" Anna insisted.

"Are you sure?" Kristoff asked. "Do you really think there's a deal Elsa wouldn't be willing to make to save you?"

Anna thought for a moment about what Kristoff said. She had never even considered the possibility that Elsa would simply give Anton everything he wanted. Now that Kristoff had mentioned the idea, however, Anna began to realize that he might be right. Anna always knew that Elsa would do anything for her, but she hadn't really thought about what that meant to their current situation. Now, the more Anna thought about it, the more she became convinced that Kristoff was probably right. Elsa _would_ give up Arendelle to save her. Anna couldn't let that happen. She turned to Kristoff and looked him right in the eyes.

"We have to get out of here!" Anna exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not sure we can," Kristoff replied. "This ship is solidly built. I can't find any way out of this cell."

Anna sighed. She couldn't leave Elsa in a position where she would choose to surrender Arendelle to save them. She had to find a way for them to escape and get back to the palace before it was too late. But as she looked around the small cell, she found herself at a loss for ideas. There was very little to work with inside the cell, and Kristoff had already made a thorough search of it. It seemed to Anna that it should be simple. They weren't even being watched. All they had to do was get past the gate of iron bars that confined them, and they would be free. Anna focused her gaze at the lock on the gate. She stared intently at the lock, as if she believed that if she simply stared at it long enough, it would suddenly pop open on its own. Anna knew that was ridiculous, though. Locks didn't open on their own. They needed a key.

Anna's mind drifted and she was reminded of something she had read in a book a long time ago. She couldn't remember what the book was; she had read a lot of books to while away the lonely days of her youth, but over time all but the most memorable of the stories had blended together in her mind. Still, something about her current predicament recalled a plot point from a tale she had otherwise forgotten, and she suddenly had an idea about how to escape the cell.

Anna ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair and produced a hairpin from above her right ear that had been helping to keep her hair out of her eyes. She excitedly stood up and rushed over to the gate.

"What are you doing?" Kristoff asked.

"I'm going to try to pick the lock with a hairpin," Anna replied. "I read about it once in a book."

"And you know how to do it?" Kristoff asked.

"Well, no," Anna admitted. "But, maybe I can figure it out."

Kristoff replied with only a silent look of skepticism.

"Look, I know it might not work, but it can't hurt to try," Anna said. "It's better than just sitting here doing nothing."

"You're right," Kristoff said. "I hope it works. Good luck!"

As Anna started to work on the lock, Kristoff found that he had nothing to do but sit and watch her. He had a feeling that if anyone could figure out how to pick a lock with a hairpin, all on their own, it would be Anna. He loved Anna's optimism and determination. It was part of what attracted him to her in the first place. He was reminded of the night they met. It was those same qualities that had convinced him to take her up the North Mountain that night. No matter how bad things seemed, Anna always believed she could do just about anything, and Kristoff couldn't help but believe it too. And yet, Kristoff couldn't help but think that Anna didn't deserve to end up in situations where she needed her optimism and determination just to maintain hope. Kristoff felt like he had let Anna down. They had only been married for one day, and now they were prisoners in a cell. He should have been able to protect Anna, or at the very least given her a chance to get away and back to Elsa instead of being held as a hostage to be used as leverage against her sister, and now he couldn't even get her out of this cell. He just felt so useless.

Kristoff kept this all to himself. He had hope that Anna might be able to pick the lock, and he didn't want to interrupt her. He tried to watch her for as long as he could, but it had been a long day, and he was very tired. Soon, he was fighting to keep his eyes open against the seemingly ever-increasing weight of his eyelids, and eventually, despite his best efforts, Kristoff drifted off to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Elsa found herself out on the frozen fjord as a blinding blizzard raged around her. Even though the low temperature didn't bother her, the windblown particles of snow and ice still stung as they struck her skin. She had no idea which direction she was heading in as she staggered across the ice against the buffeting winds, but she knew she had to keep going.

Elsa thought she heard a faint voice call out from the distance. She couldn't tell what the voice said, or which direction it came from. She wasn't even sure she had really heard it over the roar of the storm. She paused and looked around, but there was nothing to see. She continued on, unsure if she was even still going in the same direction.

"Queen Elsa," the voice called out, louder and clearer. Elsa was sure she had heard it this time. It was a man's voice; a voice she recognized.

Elsa stopped and peered in the direction of the voice. A figure began to emerge from the storm. Elsa couldn't make it out at first, but as the figure came closer, she realized who it was. It was Hans! Elsa turned and began to flee.

"Elsa!" Hans shouted. "You can't run from this!"

His words stopped Elsa in her tracks and she turned around to face him.

"I have to save my sister!" Elsa told him.

"Your sister?" Hans replied. "You _could_ have saved her, but now it's too late."

"What?" Elsa asked. She didn't understand what was going on.

"Your sister is _dead_ ," Hans explained bluntly, "because of you!"

"No!" Elsa muttered in disbelief as she turned away. She couldn't believe it; it couldn't be true. And yet, just the idea alone was overwhelming. Elsa felt her knees weaken and she collapsed to the ice in tears. The storm swirling around her immediately calmed.

Through her sobbing, Elsa heard the sound of Hans drawing his sword from its scabbard. She looked back over her shoulder.

"You can't run from this," Hans said as he raised his sword.

"No!" screamed a voice from out of nowhere. It was Anna!

Elsa watched as Anna ran up to come between her and Hans. As Hans swung his sword, Anna raised her right hand to block it. Suddenly, Anna's body turned to solid ice. Hans' sword struck Anna's frozen hand. The sword didn't break.

Anna's frozen hand cracked where the sword struck it, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as Elsa watched in horror as the crack continued down Anna's arm, expanding, splitting and spreading throughout Anna's icy form. The cracks reached Anna's face last, ultimately shattering her lifeless eyes. Anna's frozen body then abruptly disintegrated into a heap of unrecognizable icy shards.

"Anna!" Elsa wailed as she scrambled over and futilely scooped up the remains of her sister in her cupped hands. "No! Anna! Please, no!"

"You can't run from this," Hans repeated as he raised his sword again, and, for a split second, Elsa wondered why he kept saying that. Then that thought passed, and Elsa closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow...

Elsa suddenly woke up with a start, gasping for breath with her heart racing. As she calmed down, she realized she had just been having a nightmare. Disoriented, she squinted into the dimness. It took her a moment to realize she was in her bed in her bedroom. At first she hadn't recognized her room, because everything, including her bed, was covered with a thick blanket of fresh white snow. Elsa sighed. Even while she slept her powers were reacting to her feelings. She tried to thaw the room, but it was no use. In her current emotional state, she could only make it colder.

Elsa got out of bed, stepping into the snow that covered the floor with her bare feet. She had never walked barefoot in the snow before and she found that she actually liked how it felt; if only she weren't so worried she might have really been able to enjoy it. She went to over to the window and opened it. With a twist of her hand, she created a cyclone of frigid air that sucked up the snow in the room and blew it out through the window into the courtyard below.

With her room clear of the snow, Elsa sat down on the windowsill. The night air was cold but to Elsa it felt refreshing. She leaned back against the window frame and looked out over the silent town and the frozen harbor. Elsa realized that from this vantage point she could see the spot on the fjord from her nightmare: the spot where Anna really had briefly turned to ice. Having reminded herself of the nightmare, Elsa now found that she could think of nothing else. As she sat there in the window, the haunting vision of Anna's frozen body shattering played itself out over and over in her mind, as the voice of Hans repeated the same words over and over: _You can't run from this._

Elsa was certain that in reality, Hans had only said those words once. She didn't understand why the Hans of her nightmare had kept repeating himself or why those words stayed with her, but she didn't particularly care, either. She simply wanted to forget about the terrifying experience, and she knew she couldn't do that if she kept staring out at the frozen fjord where she had imagined it happened.

Elsa stood up and closed the window. She looked apprehensively at her bed. She knew she should try to go back to sleep, but she also knew that she would never be able to fall asleep in her current state of mind, and even if sleep did eventually come, it might just bring more nightmares. She sighed and turned toward the door, hoping that a walk would clear the memory of the nightmare from her mind.

As she slowly roamed the dimly-lit corridors of the palace, Elsa took notice of the artwork and furnishings that she normally paid little attention to. It had all been there since she was a child, and she realized she had always taken it all for granted. She wanted to take the opportunity to appreciate it, but in the quiet darkness, everything seemed different. The spaces seemed larger, the ceilings higher. The figures in the paintings hanging on the walls, their colors muted by the gloom, seemed to loom ominously overhead. The cold wind howled eerily outside, and Elsa could hear every creak and groan from the old castle's wooden structure.

Elsa's thoughts drifted back to her childhood and the memories of playing with Anna in the middle of the night. The castle had seemed so different then. They never thought it seemed spooky. But Elsa knew the castle was the same as it had always been. She had changed. She was afraid now. She didn't want to be. She wanted to be like the fearless little girl she was when she innocently believed that nothing bad could ever happen. She had tried so hard to keep her fear under control, and being with Anna helped. Without Anna, Elsa didn't know what she would do.

Elsa eventually came to the door to the study. She opened the door and peeked inside. The study was even darker than the hallway, as none of the lamps were lit and the fire in the fireplace had reduced itself to a few barely glowing embers. Elsa slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. She glanced briefly toward the desk, where she knew the surrender document still sat, unsigned. She wasn't ready to look at it again yet. Instead, she went to the fireplace and stared at the fading embers.

A supply of firewood was stacked next to the fireplace. Elsa carefully added some smaller pieces of wood to the fire, then picked up a fireplace poker and began to slowly prod the fire back to life. As she tended to the fire, she remembered watching her father do the same when she was little. She could almost hear his voice: _Now, Elsa, watch carefully. Someday this will be your responsibility._

The fire was roaring again, and Elsa added some larger logs to sustain it. She knelt down on the floor in front of the fireplace. While the cold didn't bother her, she still enjoyed the warmth. She looked up at her father's coronation portrait, now lit from the light from the fire. He had been a young king; almost as young as she was now, Elsa realized. As she stared up at the painting in the firelight, she saw something in her father's expression she had never noticed before. Where before she had always seen only a look of confidence and courage, she now saw a hint of uncertainty and maybe even a little fear in his eyes. For the first time, the thought occurred to Elsa that her father may have been overwhelmed when he first became king. She wondered if he ever felt as conflicted as she was. She wished she could ask him. There were many things she wished she could ask him.

Elsa looked back at the desk and the surrender document. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she knew she would have to make a decision. The sun would be rising soon.


	20. Chapter 20

"Kristoff!" Anna whispered. "Kristoff, wake up!"

Kristoff stirred from his slumber and opened his eyes to see Anna's smiling face.

"What is it?" he asked, disoriented. "What's going on?"

"I did it!" Anna whispered excitedly.

"Did what?" Kristoff asked, still not completely awake.

"I picked the lock!" Anna said with a wide grin. In her fingers she held a hairpin that had been bent almost beyond recognition. Behind her he could see the iron gate to the cell standing open.

"Really?" Kristoff asked in surprise, suddenly very awake.

"Yeah!" Anna nodded. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

Anna took Kristoff's hand and led him out of the cell and toward the ladder leading up to the deck above.

"Wait," Kristoff said, abruptly resisting Anna's lead. "What are you doing?"

"Um, getting out of here?" Anna replied sarcastically.

"We can't just climb up that ladder onto the main deck," Kristoff said. "We'll be caught and thrown right back in the cell."

"You don't know that'll happen," Anna said. "And so what if it does? I know how to pick the lock."

"If they catch us trying to escape, they're not going to leave us unguarded again," Kristoff pointed out.

"Well then what do you think we should do?" Anna asked.

Kristoff looked around and noticed the door in the bulkhead. He knew the cargo hold would be on the other side.

"Let's go this way," Kristoff said, heading for the door. "We'll find another way out through the cargo hold."

Kristoff took down the wooden crossbars that secured the heavy door and swung it open. Kristoff and Anna peered inside. The cargo hold was pitch black; they couldn't see anything beyond the door. Anna fetched two of the oil lanterns that were hanging on the bulkhead and handed one to Kristoff. Cautiously, they stepped through the doorway into the darkness of the cargo hold.

Even with the light from the lanterns, Anna and Kristoff still couldn't see much. The cavernous cargo hold seemed to be empty, except for loose straw which covered the floor. Kristoff held his lantern up as high as he could, trying to extend the reach of its light. Even holding his lantern above him, he could barely see the bottom of the deck above, and ahead of them the hold seemed to stretch on into the blackness like an endless abyss.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kristoff muttered.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"This is a strange ship," Kristoff replied. "I've never seen a cargo hold like this. It's huge! I can't even imagine what it was meant to carry."

"How many ships have you been on?" Anna asked skeptically.

"Too many to count," Kristoff replied. "I used to work in Lillehaven loading and unloading ships."

"I thought you were an ice harvester," Anna said.

"Ice harvesting is seasonal work," Kristoff said. "In the off season, I had to take whatever work I could find."

"I didn't know that," Anna said.

"Yeah," Kristoff continued, "and now that I think about it, a lot of those ships were from Weselton."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Anna asked.

"Oh, nothing, I guess," Kristoff admitted. "I just realized that there's probably a lot less work in Lillehaven now that your sister cut Weselton off. I used to sell those ships ice sometimes, too. You know, if I wasn't Arendelle's Official Ice Master and Deliverer, it might be hard for me to make a living now. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for the people who live here."

Anna didn't know how to respond. She didn't like the thought that any of Arendelle's people might be struggling, but she knew that Elsa couldn't simply forget about what the Duke of Weselton had done.

As they continued deeper into the hold, Anna noticed that a tiny spot of light had suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead of them. Curious, she began to wander toward it. Kristoff was distracted by his fascination with the strange ship's construction and didn't notice as Anna drifted away from him. As Anna moved toward the mysterious light, she noticed that it seemed to be moving in her direction as well. As she got closer, the light seemed to get larger and brighter, and Anna quickened her pace.

Finally, Anna approached the light and realized that it was merely a reflection of the light from her own lantern. She found herself standing in front of a large circular mirrorlike surface, almost as big across as she was tall, with her own dim reflection staring back at her. It wasn't a mirror, though. Anna could see that her reflection was slightly distorted. The surface, in addition to being round, was also curved like the lens of a giant magnifying glass, and the reflected light of the lantern was noticeably dimmer than that of the real flame.

As Anna studied the reflection, she also noticed with surprise that the surface seemed to be... wet. She reached out with her free hand to touch it. Just as her fingers were about to touch the surface, something suddenly came down in front of her, covering the reflection like a curtain. Startled, Anna jumped back with a shocked gasp. In front of her now was a thick wall covered in silvery-gray scales. Anna knew there was something familiar about the surface, but couldn't quite place it. Then, just as suddenly as it had fallen, the strange obstruction rose again to reveal the reflection again, but now, only a smaller circle in the center of the reflection remained dark. The rest of the reflection was now backed by a circular border of fiery orange.

Anna heard a guttural groan that seemed to come from all around her. After a split second of confusion, Anna's heart sank as she realized what she was seeing her reflection in. It was a huge eye!

"Kristoff..." Anna called out uncertainly as she slowly backed away from her reflection.

The eye slowly began to rise into the air, then it turned away and a massive scaly snout emerged from the darkness to take its place. Panicking, Anna staggered backwards and stumbled over the uneven deck planking. She fell backwards onto the straw-covered deck, barely keeping from dropping the lantern. She could see the creature looming over her, the light from the lantern reflected in its two huge orange eyes that stared down at her over the long snout, and she could feel its hot breath.

"Kristoff!" Anna called out again, now in terror.

"Don't be afraid, Princess," the voice of Anton said from behind her. Anna glanced over her shoulder to see Anton standing just inside the doorway to the brig, flanked by Hans, holding a lantern, and Verner, keeping Kristoff subdued by the threat of his sword.

"It won't hurt you," Anton continued with an evil grin, "unless I tell it to."

"What... what is it?" Anna sputtered.

"Why, it's a surprise for the queen, of course," Anton replied. "I found it on an island guarding a cave filled with treasure. A Scottish prince told me about it. I didn't believe him at first. He sounded like a fool. But he told me how to find it with such detail that I had to find out for myself. It wasn't easy to get past it. Weapons can't harm it. I lost a lot of good men before I finally managed to get inside the cave, and I never would have gotten back out if I hadn't found something special among the treasure." Anton tapped the helmet of silvery-gray scales that sat atop his head, and Anna realized why the creature's skin had seemed familiar: the helmet looked just like it.

"The monster is cursed to obey whoever wears the helmet," Anton continued, "so now it obeys me, and with it, I won't just take back what I lost; I will take everything I deserve, and no one, not my father, not my brothers, and certainly not your sister, is going to stop me."

Anna was left speechless. She couldn't believe what was happening. She looked back up at the creature towering over her. It seemed unstoppable.

"Take them back to their cell," Anton ordered.

As Verner roughly shoved Kristoff back through the doorway to the brig, Hans rushed over to Anna and helped her up. She didn't resist, and she forlornly let him lead her back to the cell.

"You're more resourceful than I gave you credit for," Anton said to Anna and Kristoff as Verner locked them back in the cell. "I want them watched continuously from now on," Anton said to Verner.

"I will assign guards to watch them," Verner replied.

"Very good." Anton said. He turned to Hans. "Keep an eye on them until the guards get here."

Verner and Anton climbed up the ladder to the main deck, leaving Hans behind outside the cell.

"Why?" Anna asked Hans. "Why is he doing this?"

"Anton has always thought he was better than everyone else, and that he deserved to be king even though Fredrick is the eldest. He'll do anything to become a king, and he won't stop with Arendelle."

"Why are you helping him?" Anna asked.

"I don't have a choice," Hans replied.

"Yes, you do," Anna said in desperation. "You can stand up to him. You can try to stop him."

"No, I can't," Hans said sadly.

Two guards climbed down the ladder to the brig to ensure that the prisoners wouldn't escape. With one last look over his shoulder, Hans silently climbed up the ladder and disappeared.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Kristoff said, sitting down on the bench in the cell.

"What?" Anna exclaimed as she spun around. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"Yes, I do," Kristoff replied. "We've been married for one day, and look at what's happened. We're locked in a cell, being used as leverage against your sister."

"None of this is your fault," Anna said.

"You wanted to postpone our honeymoon because you thought Elsa needed you..." Kristoff began.

"She told us we could go," Anna interrupted.

"But we didn't have to," Kristoff continued. "You were right. I could have backed you up, and then we wouldn't be here."

"I didn't know anything like this was going to happen," Anna said. "We decided to go on our honeymoon together."

"It's not just that," Kristoff said. "I couldn't keep us from being captured, I couldn't get us out of this cell, and I couldn't get us off this ship. You fought back. You picked the lock. I haven't done anything. I just feel so useless."

"Don't say that!" Anna said. "We're in this together. If it wasn't for you, I would have climbed up that ladder onto the deck and been caught right away, and then we wouldn't know what Anton was going to do."

"What good does that do?" Kristoff asked. "We don't have any way to warn Elsa." Kristoff sighed. "Do you think Elsa can stop that... thing?"

"I really don't know," Anna admitted, sitting down next to Kristoff and leaning up against him.

"I guess this is just about the worst honeymoon ever, huh?" Kristoff said.

"Yeah," Anna said, resting her head on Kristoff's shoulder, "but at least we're together."


	21. Chapter 21

The morning sun rose early over Arendelle. In the courtyard of the castle, the soldiers formed their ranks. Word had spread rapidly through the city that Queen Elsa would be making an announcement, and townspeople steadily filtered in, gathering around the edges of the courtyard and waiting anxiously, shivering in the frigid air of the artificial winter. As the morning wore on, more and more of Arendelle's citizens made their way to the palace, and the crowd in the courtyard grew.

Among those who had gathered in the courtyard was Lars. Though a part of him was afraid to find out, he had to know what decision Elsa had made. He just hoped she had made the right one.

Lars recognized many of the faces he saw as he worked his way through the crowd. He couldn't help but think about the fact that just two days ago all of these people had been in the courtyard to celebrate the royal wedding. Now, they had returned, but the atmosphere was completely different, and not just because of the dramatic change in the weather. The people's excitement and exuberance were gone, replaced by doubt and anxiety. The people of Arendelle were afraid. They needed their queen to reassure them. Lars didn't know if Elsa was going to be able to do that.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Elsa paced nervously back and forth across the study. Every time she approached the window, she could see the growing crowd in the courtyard below. Then she would turn away and see the surrender document sitting on the desk, still unsigned. Elsa knew she had to make a decision, but she still didn't know what she was going to do. She felt paralyzed by the immense pressure of the enormity of the decision she faced.

Suddenly, Elsa was startled by a knock at the door.

"Your Majesty," came Kai's voice from the other side of the closed door, "it is time. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Kai, I, um, I... I just... I just need... another moment," Elsa stammered nervously, realizing she had run out of time.

Elsa slowly walked over to the desk. She stared down at the surrender document. She knew she had to do _something_. Her hand trembled as she reached for the pen. As she picked up the pen, she hesitated. For a moment, she stood motionless, looking at the pen in her hand and at the document on the desk beneath it. Finally, she willed herself to move again. She took a deep breath and quickly signed her name at the bottom of the surrender document.

Elsa sighed and set down the pen. She rolled up the surrender document and carried it with her toward the door, carefully avoiding making eye contact with her father's portrait. She couldn't bear to face the disappointment she imagined she would see in his eyes.

Elsa opened the door of the study. Kai was waiting for her in the corridor.

"I'm ready," Elsa said.

Kai nodded and silently escorted Elsa to the end of the corridor and the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Other members of the palace staff had gathered and stood along either side of the hallway. Elsa didn't look at them. She didn't look up at all. She merely looked down at the scroll she clutched tightly in her hands.

Elsa reached the end of the hallway. She paused before taking a deep breath and opening the doors to the balcony. As she stepped outside into the cold morning air, she heard the trumpets announce her with a fanfare. Down in the courtyard, the soldiers stood at attention and the townspeople greeted her with pensive applause. As the fanfare came to an end, Elsa simply looked out over the crowd for a moment of awkward silence. Elsa wasn't quite sure what to say. She hadn't prepared a speech.

"People of Arendelle," Elsa finally began, trying her best to sound as regal as she could, "as I'm sure you all know by now, a fleet of ships from the Southern Isles has come to invade Arendelle."

The people began to murmur among themselves. Elsa couldn't make out anything they were saying, but they sounded nervous.

"I have used my powers to surround the city with a wall of ice to keep the invaders out," Elsa continued. Her regal tone left her as she went on. "I want you all to know that everything I've done, I've done to protect Arendelle, and its people. Unfortunately, my sister, Princess Anna, and her husband, Kristoff, were beyond the perimeter of the wall, and I've learned that they have been taken prisoner by the invaders." Elsa heard gasps from the crowd and the murmuring grew louder. "Last night I received an ultimatum, demanding that in exchange for the lives of Anna and Kristoff, I must surrender Arendelle to the Southern Isles."

The tension in the courtyard sharply intensified as the crowd grew louder, and some people began to shout out of panic. Elsa realized she was losing her people's attention.

"Please," Elsa begged, trying to regain control, "I need you to understand how difficult these last few hours have been as I've tried to decide what to do. In the end, there's only one thing I'm certain of: I must save my sister, no matter what. So, I've made a decision."

A hush suddenly fell over the courtyard as the people nervously awaited their queen's plans. Elsa looked out over the crowd. These people had welcomed her back to Arendelle after what she had done at her coronation. The soldiers who had gathered to await her orders were willing to fight for her, even die for her if necessary. They were all here because they believed in her. She was their queen. She didn't know how she could tell them she was giving up without a fight. She couldn't tell them. She wanted to turn away, to flee back inside the castle, to run...

 _You can't run from this!_

The words from her nightmare that Hans had repeated over and over suddenly returned to her mind. Elsa now understood the meaning of her dream. Arendelle was her responsibility, and she couldn't run from it. Surrendering to the Southern Isles wouldn't protect Anna; not in the long run. Elsa looked down at the scroll she clutched in her hands. She could now see the mistake she was about to make, and she knew what she had to do. But Elsa was afraid. She was afraid of what might go wrong, she was afraid of who might get hurt, and she was afraid of failing and letting everyone down.

Elsa looked back to the sea of faces, desperately waiting for some reassuring words from their queen. The moment seemed to stretch on for eternity as Elsa looked from person to person as she searched for the strength to continue. Then Elsa came across the one face with an expression that was different from all the others in the crowd. Lars had been watching her carefully. He had been worried at first, as he could tell where Elsa's speech had been leading, but he had recognized Elsa's moment of epiphany and now knew she had come to the right decision. As their eyes met, Lars looked back at her with confident reassurance, and smiled. He spoke to her, and even though he was too far away for Elsa to make out his voice over the commotion of the people, she could still read his lips and hear his voice in her head.

"You can do this!"

Suddenly, Elsa felt her fear begin to fade away. It didn't completely disappear, but it was no longer paralyzing. She took a deep breath. She _believed_. She _could_ do this.

"I'm going to get my sister back," Elsa announced defiantly, "but I can't do it alone. Together, we'll show the Southern Isles that Arendelle will never surrender to fear."

The crowd cheered with relief. Elsa didn't remain for the applause, however. There was something she had to do before she had a chance to change her mind. Her heart pounding, Elsa hurried from the balcony to her bedroom. Once she was safely alone behind a closed door she breathed a sigh of relief. Standing in front of the roaring fire in the hearth, she looked down at the scroll in her hands. She only hesitated for a second before resolutely throwing the signed surrender document into the flames. Watching the fire consume the scroll strengthened her resolve.

Elsa walked over to her dressing table. Her crown from her coronation sat on the table under a glass dome. She had retrieved the crown from the North Mountain but had never worn it again. She removed the glass dome and picked up the crown. If she was going to fight for Arendelle as its queen, she was going to look the part.

Elsa caught sight of her reflection in her mirror. The flowing lines of her delicate blue dress and cape hardly projected the necessary image. She decided she would have to do something about that.


	22. Chapter 22

Arendelle's army paraded through the streets of the city, the cavalry mounted on their horses and the infantry marching in formation, making their way from the courtyard of the palace to the wall of ice that now protected them. Along the route, the townspeople cheered, though their encouragement was somewhat tempered by nervousness. Leading the way at the head of this procession was Queen Elsa, her platinum blonde hair still braided over her shoulder but pulled back tighter to allow her crown to rest atop her head. She wore a new blue dress that lacked the cape and long sheer sleeves of her more typical gown, leaving her less encumbered and her arms free. The dress also had a slightly shorter ankle-length skirt that now subtly displayed Elsa's signature snowflake pattern and instead of her high-heeled shoes she wore high riding-style boots in a sparkling powder blue. Though very much in Elsa's distinctive personal style, the outfit was far from what anyone would expect a queen to wear into battle, with no armor to offer protection. Elsa had no need for armor. She was confident that her powers could block any weapon. She had never been afraid for her own safety. It was the always the safety of others that concerned her, and as she led her soldiers through the streets with a purposeful stride, it was the only thought in her mind.

The forces of Arendelle came to a stop as they approached Elsa's wall of ice, which loomed ahead at the edge of the city. Elsa took a deep breath and reached out toward the wall as she summoned her powers. The wall began to crack and a set of massive gates formed. The gates swung open to reveal the wintry landscape on the other side.

Looking at the snow-covered wilderness beyond the wall, it suddenly occurred to Elsa that Lillehaven was a long walk from Arendelle. She knew her soldiers were trained for a long march through the snow, but she herself wasn't. She was reminded of her hasty flight up the North Mountain on the night of her coronation. It had been exhausting, and if not for the fear and adrenaline driving her, she might not have made it that far. She didn't have quite the same motivation now. If anything, her fear was a hindrance. Not knowing what she might face at Lillehaven, she realized she didn't want to exhaust herself just getting there.

Elsa knew every available horse in Arendelle had already been commandeered for her cavalry, and even if they weren't, she wouldn't go back to get one now. When the solution to her predicament finally came to her, it was so obvious that Elsa felt a little silly for not thinking of it sooner. With a wave of her arm, and to the fascination of the assembled onlookers, she quickly generated a sleigh made of crystal-clear ice and a pair of sleek inanimate snowhorses to draw it. Elsa had become very careful about not creating any additional "living" snow-creatures, so unlike some of Elsa's other creations, the horses were simply soulless mechanical constructs that were more like movable sculptures. They could not move on their own and Elsa would have to use her powers to give them the motion necessary to propel her sleigh, but Elsa didn't want to have to worry about something happening to them in battle, or about them melting after she restored the summer.

Elsa was just about to climb aboard her newly-created chariot and resume her advance when she heard a faint voice call out from somewhere among the ranks of soldiers.

"Elsa, wait!"

Elsa looked back to see where the voice had come from. As she searched the faces of her troops she saw only expressions of confusion, as they too were unsure of where the voice had come from. Eventually, a diminutive snowman made his way through the formation and emerged at the front.

"Wait for me, Elsa!" Olaf said, gasping for breath.

"What is it, Olaf?" Elsa asked, looking down at him.

"I want to help rescue Anna and Kristoff!" Olaf replied. "I'm coming with you!"

"And so am I!" announced another familiar voice.

Elsa looked up to see Lars. Lars was dressed in the burgundy coat of a Weselton palace guard, with a cavalry sword hanging from his belt in a scabbard and a crossbow and quiver slung over his shoulder. For a split second, a chill went down Elsa's spine as his appearance reminded her of the duke's men who had tried to kill her at her ice palace on the North Mountain, but that feeling quickly passed as she remembered the trust she had in him.

"This isn't your fight," Elsa said to him.

"I know," Lars replied boldly, "but I can't stand idly by while Arendelle fights for its survival."

Elsa looked back at Lars with a look of silent skepticism.

"Look, I told you that not everyone in Weselton is like the duke," Lars said, his bold tone giving way to one of candor. "Give me a chance to prove it."

"All right," Elsa replied softly after a moment of hesitation, a slight smile crossing her face.

"Sven!" Olaf suddenly shouted.

Elsa turned to see that Olaf had wandered through the opening in the ice wall and was running out of sight. She quickly chased after him and Lars followed. On the other wide of the wall, they found Kristoff's beloved reindeer, still tied to the tree where the soldiers from the Southern Isles had left him.

"Oh, Sven!" Elsa exclaimed, rushing over to untie the reindeer. "Have you been out here all night?"

Sven grunted in response, which Elsa took as an affirmative.

"You poor thing!" Elsa said to Sven as she untied him. "Don't worry, I'll have someone take you back to the stables where its warm, while we go to rescue Anna and Kristoff."

Sven snorted in protest and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked in confusion.

"I think Sven wants to help, too!" Olaf said.

Elsa suddenly had an idea. She looked back at Lars with a sly grin.

"Have you ever ridden a reindeer?" she asked him.


	23. Chapter 23

Riding on her chariot of ice, Queen Elsa led her forces through the wilderness toward Lillehaven, with Olaf at her side aboard the sleigh. Alongside, Lars rode atop Sven's back. Lars hadn't ever ridden a reindeer before, and as Sven didn't have a saddle, Lars had a little trouble maintaining his stability on the reindeer's back. He was constantly shifting awkwardly as he tried to keep his balance. Sven was also uneasy. He wasn't used to being ridden by anyone but Kristoff, and he wasn't sure he trusted the stranger.

Elsa kept finding herself glancing over at Lars and trying to hide her amusement at his struggle to ride the reindeer. She was watching as Sven accidently stepped in a hole hidden under the snow and lurched to one side, nearly causing Lars to fall off. As Lars clutched the reindeer's fur and pulled himself back into position, Elsa tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snicker.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lars replied. "I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this."

"Lars..." Elsa said wistfully, her thoughts wandering, "have you ever done anything like this before?"

"Well, I've ridden horses..." Lars began.

"That's not what I meant," Elsa interrupted.

"Oh," Lars said, understanding. "You're asking if I've ever gone to war."

Elsa nodded silently.

"I've already told you about the closest I've come to battle," Lars said. "I have trained for it, of course."

"That's more than I've done," Elsa said.

"Maybe so," Lars said, "but you have a power nobody else does. Believe in it, and believe in yourself."

"I'm scared," Elsa admitted.

"You should be," Lars replied. "It's a scary thing to do, but it's also the right thing to do."

"You said yourself that what's right isn't always clear," Elsa pointed out. "How do I know I'm doing the right thing?"

"I don't really have an answer," Lars admitted. "Maybe there's no way to know for sure. I do know that making the wrong decision is easy. Doing the right thing is hard, and that can be frightening."

"I'm not afraid for myself," Elsa said. "I know how to defend myself against swords and arrows. And I'm not afraid to die. I would give my life to save Anna. I'm not afraid of what I'm about to do; I'm afraid that I'll fail. I'm afraid that the Southern Isles will have something that my powers can't stop, and that I won't be able to save Anna." Elsa looked Lars straight in the eye. "Promise me something. If this doesn't go well, I want you to make sure Anna makes it back to the palace safely."

"I promise it _will_ go well," Lars said.

"That's not something you can promise," Elsa said. "If anything happens to me, I need to know Anna will be safe. Promise me. Please."

"If it does come to that, I promise I'll make sure your sister is safe," Lars said reluctantly. "But, I also promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure that it _doesn't_ come to that. Because I may not know your sister, but if she's anything like you, she won't allow you to be left behind."

"Thank you," Elsa said softly, offering Lars a slight smile.

"Listen," Lars said, "as long as we're preparing for the worst, I want you to know that I'm sorry for not telling you who I was sooner."

"It's okay," Elsa said. "I understand why you wanted to hide it. You were right. If I had known who you were, I never would have agreed to meet with you. I would have assumed the worst. When you told me, I _did_ assume the worst. It wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry for that. After what happened with the duke, I guess you just weren't what I expected from someone from Weselton."

"And you're not the icy queen I assumed you were when I came to Arendelle," Lars said. He smiled shyly. "I suppose we both had our preconceptions. I'm glad mine turned out to be wrong."

"Yeah, me too," Elsa said, smiling back at him. "I'd never imagined it could be so satisfying to find out I was mistaken."

For an indeterminate moment, they simply stared at each other, lost in each other's eyes, as their respective conveyances carried them onward. They weren't sure how much time actually passed before they suddenly found themselves at the top of a hill. Coming to a stop, they looked ahead and were presented with a stunning view of a village spread out at the base of the fjord below. From the high vantage point, the gray-clad foreigners who had taken over the village seemed almost like a swarm of tiny ants.

"Lillehaven..." Elsa whispered.

"There's not as many of them as I thought there'd be," Lars offered. "I think we have a good chance, even without your powers."

"That's good," Elsa said, "because my powers aren't going to be able to help you."

"What do you mean?" Lars asked. "I thought you were going to lead your forces into battle."

"No, I'm going to save my sister," Elsa said, "and I'm not going to wait to see how the battle turns out." She climbed down off of her sleigh and Olaf followed her. "If we can win, that's great, but I'm getting my sister back, no matter what."

Elsa looked off to the side of the road where the ground sloped steeply down through the woods towards a shore that was invisible through the trees. She waved her hands at her feet and a pair of skis made of ice materialized on the bottom of her boots.

"They're going to be expecting you," Lars warned.

"I know," Elsa replied. "In fact, I'm counting on it."

With a broad flourish, Elsa produced a life-sized ice sculpture of herself on board her sleigh. Despite being made of ice, the replica was highly detailed with a frosted surface representing Elsa's hair and exposed skin contrasting with the nearly transparent ice that represented her clothing and would be quite convincing from a distance. Lars couldn't help but smile.

"A ruse!" Lars said excitedly. "You're using the battle as a distraction, but they'll think you're watching from here and come up here after you, luring them away from the village. It's brilliant!"

"Well, I might have been inspired by a story I heard last night." Elsa replied, giving Lars a quick smile. "I just hope I can rescue Anna and Kristoff before they figure it out."

A general approached on horseback from the ranks.

"Your orders, Your Majesty?" the general asked.

"Give me enough time to get down to the shore before you begin, unless they notice you sooner," Elsa said. "Try to keep them from getting up here too quickly. I can use all the time I can get. Hopefully, once I've rescued Princess Anna, I will be able to bring this to a quick end. If I... _can't_ , and the battle doesn't go well, fall back and take up a defensive position to give Anna time to get back to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the general replied before returning to the ranks to relay the orders.

Elsa looked nervously down the slope, then glanced back toward the village before looking back to Lars. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't quite sure what. She searched her mind for the right words, but couldn't find them. She ultimately settled for the only thing she could think to say.

"This is it," Elsa said. It hardly seemed adequate, but it was all that came to her.

"Good luck," Lars said.

"To both of us," Elsa replied.

Elsa was about to turn away from Lars to start down the slope, but she hesitated. There was something about the look in his eyes, as if he didn't want her to go yet he knew she had to, and Elsa found herself unable to turn away. She was suddenly worried that once she did she might never see him again. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, Elsa finally willed herself to focus back on the slope. She took a deep breath and after one last look back, Elsa launched herself down toward the trees with a gust of icy wind at her back.

"Hey, Elsa, wait for me!" Olaf shouted as he dived down the slope after her.

As Lars watched Elsa disappear down the slope with the little snowman trailing her, he realized he still had one more secret to tell her. It wasn't a secret he had when he came to Arendelle. In fact, he had only just become aware of it, as it was something he never anticipated. And while he desperately wanted to tell her, he wasn't quite sure how. He was a palace guard from Weselton and she was the Queen of Arendelle. But when she disappeared into the trees and he felt a pang of fear that they might never see each other again, there was no doubt in his mind.

He had fallen in love with her.


	24. Chapter 24

Prince Anton rode slowly through the streets of Lillehaven on horseback, flanked on either side by Hans and Verner on horses of their own. Outwardly, Anton appeared to be calmly reviewing the preparations of his troops and the work of the subjugated villagers, but in actuality, Anton was growing impatient as he waited for Queen Elsa's response to his ultimatum. He was eager to face her.

Hans, on the other hand, was dreading the fight he foresaw. He wanted no part of it, and if he had any say in the matter he never would have returned to Arendelle. He had seen what Elsa was capable of, and he could only assume she had gained confidence and control over her magic. He didn't want to be on the wrong side of her powers. Even if Anton did emerge victorious, Hans knew he wouldn't be allowed to share in the glory. His actions had made him a pariah everywhere, even at home, and he didn't see how any outcome in Arendelle could change that.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a soldier sprinted up to the three horsemen.

"Sir," the soldier addressed Anton as he gasped for breath, "enemy forces have been spotted."

The soldier pointed up to the crest of the road above Lillehaven. Just as the grouped turned to look up, the ground began to tremble as Arendelle's army, realizing their presence had been noticed, began their charge down the mountainside towards Lillehaven.

"Finally!" Anton exclaimed with excitement. He took out a collapsible spyglass from his pocket. Looking up to where his opponents had staged their attack, he saw the solitary figure on the icy chariot.

"Should we release..." Hans began before his brother abruptly cut him off.

"Not yet!" Anton snapped. "We have to draw her in. If the queen thinks she'll be able to stay up there above the fray, she's sorely mistaken." Anton returned the spyglass to his pocket. "Verner, take charge of the men."

"Yes, Sir," Verner replied. "And, you?"

"My brother and I are off to see the queen," Anton said with an ominous tone as he drew his sword.

Anton quickly rode off toward the attacking army and Hans reluctantly followed.

In short order, Verner had quickly organized Anton's forces and was leading them in a counterattack against Arendelle's army. As the soldiers clashed, Verner scanned the battlefield, searching for a suitable target for himself. Among the gray uniforms of the Southern Isles and the dull green of Arendelle, Verner spotted the burgundy coat of a Weselton palace guard. Verner smiled. He didn't know why a Weselton palace guard was fighting for Arendelle, and he didn't particularly care, but he was going to make the reindeer-riding outsider pay for getting himself involved.

Meanwhile, from the shore of the fjord, Elsa and Olaf peered at the enemy ships anchored in Lillehaven's harbor. They were nearly deserted, with most of their personnel having gone ashore to help with the invasion, leaving each with a skeleton crew aboard. The large flagship at the dock, on the other hand, still had a sizeable part of its crew milling about the deck, and Elsa presumed Anna and Kristoff were being held aboard. Elsa continued to watch, waiting for the right moment to make her move.

Eventually, Elsa noticed that there seemed to be a commotion in the village, and many of the crewmembers from the ship suddenly disembarked and ran up the dock into the town. Though she couldn't see from her vantage point, Elsa knew the battle must have begun. Only a few men were left behind on the deck of the ship. It was time. At Elsa's bidding, the temperature suddenly dropped and a front of low clouds and thick fog quickly rolled into the harbor, engulfing the ships and making them nearly invisible from the shore or to each other.

"Come on, Olaf," Elsa said.

The rugged shore of the fjord was rocky and steep, and normally it would have been almost impossible for someone to approach Lillehaven along it. Elsa jumped down from the rocks to the water as if the surface was solid, and it instantly froze under her feet. With Olaf following her, Elsa made a beeline for where the huge flagship sat hidden by the fog, and with each step the ice spread across the surface of the fjord, leaving all of the ships trapped while their crews were none the wiser.

Elsa could tell she was getting close to the flagship, even though she still couldn't see it through the fog. Suddenly, the massive dark hull emerged from the fog in front of her. The dock was on the other side of the ship, making the side Elsa had approached seem to rise out of the now frozen harbor like a looming wall. It seemed much larger than it had from a distance. Elsa looked up the side of the ship to where the deck was. With a wave of her hand, she produced a staircase of ice near the stern to climb up to the main deck.

Elsa and Olaf cautiously crept up the icy staircase. They paused to peek through the gap under the railing that allowed water to drain off the deck. There were still a number of crewmembers on the ship. They seemed surprised and confused by the sudden change in the weather but they didn't seem to be on the lookout for her. There were more of them than Elsa would have preferred. She knew she could probably handle them, but if Anna and Kristoff were under guard, she didn't want to start a commotion that would alert the guards.

"I could use a distraction," Elsa whispered softly, mainly to herself.

"Right," Olaf replied. "A distraction..."

Elsa barely heard Olaf's response and didn't notice as the little snowman wandered on up the staircase and onto the deck. She began to silently panic when she saw him walk up to the nearest crewman on the ship, who happened to have his back to them.

"Hi!" Olaf said with his usual cheerfullness.

The surprised sailor turned around and was taken aback by the sight of the talking snowman.

"I'm Olaf," the snowman continued.

Elsa watched in horror as the sailor suddenly drew his sword. Almost without thinking, she reached out her hand and her powers produced a spire of ice between the sword and the deck that held the sword in place and kept the sailor from being able to swing it. As the sailor struggled to free his sword from the ice, Elsa scrambled over the railing and onto the deck of the ship. The sailor spotted her and she froze his boots to the deck to keep him from coming after her. Elsa saw another crewman running toward them. She laid a sheet of ice directly in his path, causing him to slip and land hard on the deck, knocking him out.

The other crewmen on the deck of the ship were farther away near the bow, but they had now noticed what was going on and were coming to intervene. Elsa quickly created a barrier of icy spikes to keep them back. The men attacked the spikes with their swords, but the spikes were sturdy and didn't break easily.

"We did it!" Olaf exclaimed.

Elsa looked around and saw that for the moment, Olaf seemed to be right. All the threats on the deck had been taken care of. Elsa shrugged. It hadn't exactly gone how she had anticipated it would, but it had worked. Still, Elsa knew better than to settle into complacency. There was still more to do, and she knew they didn't have much time.

"We're not done yet," Elsa said to Olaf. "That won't hold them off for long. We have to hurry and find Anna and Kristoff."


	25. Chapter 25

Anton and Hans briskly made their way through the ranks of charging soldiers. Anton found his adversaries no match for his own experience and skill as his sword readily deflected every attack without slowing the pace of his steed. Fortunately for Arendelle's army, Anton was too focused on reaching his true target to bother stopping to finish off any of his attackers, leaving them in his wake without a second thought.

Trailing behind Anton, Hans found little resistance as his brother handily cleared a path through their opposition. He almost wished it wasn't going so well. Hans knew an easy victory would only make Anton even more arrogant and insufferable in the end.

Suddenly, Anton and Hans broke through the last waves of Arendelle's forces, leaving an unobstructed way forward. Anton eagerly spurred his horse onward, up toward the distant solitary figure standing stoically ahead of them, and Hans grudgingly followed.

As he reached the top of the rise, Anton sensed that the situation was not as he thought it should be. He realized the motionless form he had been pursuing was merely an ice sculpture. Frustrated, his muscles tensed and he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"What is this?" Anton muttered angrily to himself.

"It's a ruse!" Hans said, smirking.

"What are you smiling about?" Anton growled.

"She tricked you, and you fell for it!" Hans said, trying not to laugh at his brother's error. "I warned you not to underestimate her."

"Shut up!" spat Anton. He rode his horse up to the icy chariot and closely examined the ice sculpture. "This may have been a ruse, but she _is_ here somewhere."

Anton looked around anxiously before glancing back down at Lillehaven and spotting the clouds that had engulfed his ships in the harbor.

"There!" Anton shouted, pointing with his sword to the harbor.

Seething with rage at the deception that had successfully drawn him away from where he needed to be, Anton lashed out at the ice sculpture. With a single broad stroke, Anton's sword sliced cleanly through the neck of the icy decoy. As the decapitated head of Elsa's frozen replica landed in the snow, an evil grin spread across Anton's face as he imagined the real queen meeting a similar fate.

"Come along, Brother," Anton said, turning his horse back toward Lillehaven. "Let's finish this!"

Anton drove his steed charging back down toward the village. Before following his brother, Hans glanced at the decapitates ice sculpture. The image of Queen Elsa's frozen head in the snow gave him a chill that the frigid weather could never equal.

In the midst of the battle, Lars strained to maintain his precarious balance on Sven's back, clutching tightly to the reindeer's fur with his free hand as he swung his sword at a soldier from the Southern Isles. As their swords clashed, Lars found that Sven's greater momentum and surefootedness in the snow worked to his advantage as the soldier's horse hesitated and the soldier was knocked from his saddle.

Lars was holding his own in the battle, but the same couldn't be said for the soldiers of Arendelle. They didn't seem to have had as much training as Lars had received in Weselton, and they were no match for the experienced forces of the Southern Isles. Though they had numbers on their side, Lars could tell the battle wasn't going well for Arendelle.

Lars spotted another mounted soldier charging toward him. He didn't have to worry about steering Sven; the reindeer knew what to do. Lars readied his sword, again deftly subduing his attacker without slowing Sven's stride. Ahead in the distance Lars saw a soldier from Arendelle struggling against an adversary from the Southern Isles. Lars took his crossbow from his shoulder and loaded a bolt.

As Lars took aim with his crossbow, neither he nor Sven noticed as another enemy soldier quickly rode in from behind. At the last second, Lars happened to catch a glimpse of his foe just in time to draw his sword and deflect the blindside attack while still holding his crossbow in his other hand. The sudden strike was powerful, however, and Lars wasn't entirely prepared for it. The force of the blow sent him flying from Sven's back down the snow-covered bank, as his crossbow was knocked out of his hand and landed harmlessly out of reach in the soft fresh snow without firing. Dazed and gasping for breath, Lars saw his assailant jump down from his horse, sword drawn. As his dizziness faded, Lars recognized the rank on the soldier's uniform as that of a lieutenant. Lars desperately scrambled for his sword and got to his feet.

"I don't know what you think you're doing here," Verner called out with a confident grin as he advanced down the slope toward Lars, "but it's about to come to an end."

From the brig of the _Valkyrie_ , Anna and Kristoff could hear a commotion on the decks above, though they had no idea what was going on. The two guards assigned to watch them were unsure what they should do. They felt like their comrades might need their help, but they would have to abandon their post and leave their escape-prone prisoners unguarded. Eventually, the noises coming from above sounded serious enough to spur the guards into action, and they climbed up the ladder to the deck above.

Anna and Kristoff marveled at their sudden turn of fortune. Anna quickly pulled out the disfigured hairpin she had turned into a lock pick, but before she could get started, an ominous quiet abruptly fell over the decks above. Anna and Kristoff looked around nervously, unsure of what was about to happen.

Suddenly, a diminutive snowman dropped through the hatch from the deck above.

"Olaf!" Anna exclaimed.

"Anna! Kristoff! I found you!" Olaf replied excitedly.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked.

"We came to rescue you," Olaf said.

"We?" Anna asked.

Just then, Elsa climbed down the ladder from above.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted.

"Anna!" Elsa said with relief.

Elsa rushed over to the cell. With a wave of her hand, she sent a hardened icicle driving through the lock of the gate, instantly freezing and shattering it. Anna burst out of the cell and into her sister's arms.

"I knew you'd rescue us," Anna said as she hugged her sister tightly.

Elsa wrapped her arms around her sister, so relieved to know Anna was safe that she felt as if she could hold onto her forever. Despite her feelings, Elsa knew they had to escape quickly, but she still found it difficult to let go of Anna. Finally, she reluctantly broke the embrace.

"Come on," Elsa said, pulling Anna toward the ladder. "We have to get out of here."

"Elsa, wait," Anna said, resisting slightly, "There's something I have to tell you..."

"Anna," Elsa interrupted, "whatever it is, you can tell me later. We have to go!"

"Yeah, but..." Anna tried to continue before Elsa again interrupted.

"Hurry!" Elsa said, pushing Anna toward the ladder.

Realizing that Elsa was too anxious to listen, Anna proceeded up the ladder. As they made their way to the main deck, Kristoff paused to take a sword from one of the unconscious guards they passed.

"What's that for?" Anna asked.

"Just in case," Kristoff replied.

"Well if you get a sword, I want one too," Anna said, taking a sword from another knocked-out guard.

"Come on!" Elsa said impatiently.

The foursome hurried to the main deck, where the ship's crew was still trying to make their way though Elsa's icy barriers. They rushed down the staircase Elsa had made and onto the frozen fjord. As they started to make their way across the ice, they heard a voice call out from behind them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" said Anton.

The four of them turned to see Anton standing at the foot of the dock, having just raced back from Elsa's decoy. Elsa was momentarily perplexed by the strange antique helmet on Anton's head, but she quickly shook off the confusion and stepped forward to face her opponent.

"I am Elsa, the Snow Queen of Arendelle," Elsa announced defiantly.

"Ah, Queen Elsa, of course," Anton said with a customary bow, though he still spoke with his tone of contempt which was not lost on Elsa. "I am Prince Anton of the Southern Isles. it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I must say that before I came to Arendelle I thought the reports of your powers might have been exaggerated, but I have to admit," Anton gestured grandiosely with his arms spread wide, "this _is_ impressive!"

"My powers can do much more," Elsa said, "but I don't want a war, and I have my sister back. If you end this now, I will allow you and your men to return to the Southern Isles in peace."

"That is a most generous offer," Anton replied, "and it's one I'm not sure I'd be willing to make if I were in your place."

"Then I suggest that you take it," Elsa said.

"As tempting as that might be, I just can't do that," Anton said. "This isn't over yet."

Anton let out a loud whistle, and the _Valkyrie_ began to rock side-to-side, cracking the ice that surrounded it and causing the stairs Elsa had created up to the deck to collapse. A muffled moan emanated from deep inside the massive ship's hull.

"What is that?" Elsa asked nervously.

"Why it's a surprise for you, Your Majesty," Anton replied ominously, "because I know it takes a monster to destroy a monster."

Just then, the head of Anton's creature burst through one of the cargo hatches on the deck of the _Valkyrie_ and wriggled its way out of its confinement. It's massive body was long and lean, almost like a snake, but with four muscular legs and a skin of silvery-gray scales that matched Anton's helmet. The reason for the _Valkyrie_ 's immense size was now plainly apparent to all as the creature nearly capsized the massive vessel as it slithered over the side of the ship, damaging the rigging and railing as it crawled down to the ice, which cracked under its weight. Now free from its containment, the creature towered over everyone and everything, stretching its long neck to reach its head above the tallest masts of Anton's ship.

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you," Anna said, stepping to Elsa's side. "He has a dragon!"

"Oh," Elsa muttered, too paralyzed with shock to say anything else.

Anton smiled as the dragon looked down at him with its fiery orange eyes. He pointed to Elsa.

"Kill her," Anton commanded, "along with anyone who gets in your way."

The dragon immediately turned its gaze to Elsa. Its giant orange eyes narrowed as it let out a low growl.

"Anna, run!" Elsa said.

"I'm not leaving you," Anna replied.

"You can't help me with this," Elsa said. "I need you out of the way, so I know you're safe. Go!"

"Come on, Anna," Kristoff said. "Elsa knows what she's doing."

Anna reluctantly allowed Kristoff and Olaf to lead her away toward the nearest shore, while she kept her eyes locked on her sister. The dragon moved toward Elsa, the ice cracking with each step. Elsa used her powers to create a barricade of icy spikes in front of the dragon, but the dragon merely crushed them under its feet as it stomped over them. Backing away toward shore, Elsa tried to create a wall of ice between her and the dragon, but it smashed through the wall almost as if it wasn't there at all.

As the dragon continued to advance on her, Elsa kept backing away, eventually finding herself stepping onto the shore some distance from Anna and the others. Elsa knew if she kept going, she would lead the dragon into the village where it would do more damage and might hurt other people. She stopped and stood her ground. The dragon paused and stared down at her.

The dragon inhaled and opened its mouth. A stream of fire shot out of the dragon's gaping maw directly at Elsa. All Elsa had time do was close her eyes and instinctively raise her hands in what would have been a futile gesture for anyone else, but Elsa's powers reacted without her conscious thought to protect her, blasting from her hands to block the fire. The reaction between the dragon's fire and Elsa's ice produced a cloud of steam between them, lit by the bright orange of the flames and the bright bluish-white of Elsa's magic.

Elsa opened her eyes, surprised she hadn't been incinerated. Instead, she found herself in a deadlock with the dragon, which continued to inhale without stopping its barrage of fire against her powers.

Due to the cloud of steam, Anna couldn't tell exactly what was happening between Elsa and the dragon, but she knew she had to try to help her sister. She turned to look up at Anton on the dock. With a satisfied smile on his face, he turned away to return to the conventional battle. Anna stared at the ancient helmet on Anton's head. She knew what had to be done.

"Come on," Anna said to Kristoff and Olaf. "We have to get that helmet!"


	26. Chapter 26

Anton strode confidently back towards the raging battle. He was certain Queen Elsa would be no match for his dragon, but he wasn't content to simply wait patiently for his victory. Anton thrived in battle and he intended to be an active participant. Anton turned and was surprised to suddenly find his path blocked by Princess Anna, stolen sword in hand.

"Hold it right there, Prince Anton," Anna commanded.

"Get out of my way, Princess," Anton replied. "I have no desire to kill you. After all, when this is over, things will be much simpler if there is still a legitimate heir to the throne left to surrender. But, just because I don't want to kill you, that doesn't mean I won't if you don't stop testing me."

"I won't let you get away with this," Anna said, brandishing her sword. "Call off that dragon."

"No," Anton replied simply. He drew his own sword and advanced on Anna. "Now, get out of my way!"

Anna stood her ground. She swung her sword at Anton. He effortlessly deflected Anna's attack and responded with an assault of his own. Anna managed to block Anton's blade, but she lacked the experience to effective deflect the force of her much stronger opponent's attacks. While Anna was able to successfully defend herself, bracing against the powerful impacts was taxing, and it wasn't long before one of Anton's blows knocked her off her feet into the snow.

Before Anton could advance on the dazed Anna again, Kristoff stepped between them, rushing up seemingly out of nowhere. Anton instinctively attacked and Kristoff blocked the blow. Though physically stronger than Anna, Kristoff was no more skilled with a blade, and was still no match for Anton. It wasn't long before one of Anton's attacks caught Kristoff off-balance, and he found himself laying helplessly in the snow like Anna.

While Anton had a practical reason to leave Anna alive if he could, he saw no advantage in sparing Kristoff's life. He smiled as he raised his sword. As he tried to take a step forward, Anton noticed that his foot seemed harder to lift. He looked down to see a small snowman clutching his boot.

"Anna! Kristoff!" Olaf yelled. "Don't worry! I've got him!"

Anton tried to no avail to shake the snowman off his leg, but Olaf held on tight. Finally, Anton managed to kick Olaf's body away with his other foot, sending the snowman flying though the air leaving only his stick hands behind, still clutching the boot. Olaf landed roughly in a snowbank.

"Oh, no!" Olaf shouted, noticing his missing appendages. "I've been disarmed!"

As Anton shook Olaf's hands from his boot, Anna got back to her feet. Hoping to catch Anton by surprise, she picked up her sword and charged toward him, running as fast as she could in the snow. Anton, however, noticed Anna's approach. Unfazed, he handily deflected Anna's attack and swatted her away, sending her flying and causing her to lose her grip on her sword, which disappeared under the white powder as Anna crashed into the snow next to Kristoff.

Frustrated, Anton turned away from Anna and Kristoff and continued on his way. He concluded that their pathetically feeble attacks were merely an annoying distraction and not worth his time to answer, and he set off in search of more worthy opponents.

"Okay, I think he might be better at this than we are," Anna said as she watched Anton walk away, realizing they would have to rethink their strategy if they were going to stop him.

"You _think_?" Kristoff replied.

Lars was struggling in his battle with Verner. The lieutenant from the Southern Isles was a formidable and skilled fighter, and while Lars was able defend himself, he wasn't able to mount much of an offence. Lars knew that unless his opponent happened to make a careless mistake that he could exploit, it was only a matter of time before Verner wore him down.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lars could see Sven in a standoff with Verner's horse. The well-trained warhorse was keeping the reindeer at bay. Sven couldn't get close enough to the swordfight to be of any help.

As their swords repeatedly clashed together, Verner steadily drove Lars back toward a stand of evergreen trees. Lars spotted his crossbow lying in the shadow of the snow-covered branches of a tall tree, still ready to fire. Lars desperately needed the advantage of the crossbow to defeat Verner, but he knew he would have to act quickly to grab it before Verner noticed. Lars mustered of his strength for a sudden offensive strike. Verner was taken aback by the unexpected move and, with a defensive posture, hesitated in surprise, but only for an instant. Lars took the opportunity to dive for his crossbow. Lars managed to reach the weapon and pick it up with his free hand, but he had no time to aim it before Verner was again on the attack, quickly closing the distance between them to render the crossbow useless. Lars raised his sword to deflect Verner's attack, but he was off-balance and the force of blow knocked him down. As he landed at the base of the tall evergreen, Lars managed to hold onto both his weapons, and was able to use his sword to stop what Verner intended as a killing strike.

With their blades locked together, Verner knelt down over Lars, holding him down and pinning his other arm so he couldn't use the crossbow. As Lars struggled in the snow, he turned his head to catch a glimpse of Lillehaven in the distance, and he almost couldn't believe his eyes. He saw the dragon on the shore of the frozen harbor, its barrage of flames pouring down upon a solitary figure's frigid defense.

"Elsa..." Lars muttered in desperation.

Verner followed his gaze to see for himself what Lars was looking at. He turned back to Lars with a sadistic smile on his face.

"You can't save her," Verner said. "You can't even save yourself. I'm a soldier, and you're nothing but a palace guard."

"No," Lars said with renewed determination. "I'm a _knight!_ "

With all his might, Lars pushed back against Verner, managing to roll out from under him and back to his feet. With Verner already advancing on him, Lars instinctively tried to back away but found himself up against the broad trunk of the tree. A few snowflakes dropped from the tree and Lars glanced up at the snow-laden branches above him. One thick limb was just above his head, almost within reach. With his sword still in his hand, he leapt up and got his arm over the branch. As he pulled himself up, he pointed his crossbow straight up with his other hand and fired into the branches above. The bolt broke a single branch high in the tree, but that was enough to start a cascade as one branch after another released the snow that had accumulated upon them, which abruptly fell and buried the surprised Verner.

Verner's horse was spooked by the sound of the snow suddenly dropping from the tree, giving Sven an opportunity to get past to Lars. Hanging from the branch, Lars was only waist deep in the snow that had completely buried Verner. He used the branch to pull himself out of the snow and quickly jumped onto Sven's back.

"All right, Sven," Lars said. "Let's go!"

The reindeer needed no further instructions, setting off charging down towards Lillehaven. Lars barely noticed the battle that continued to rage around them as they raced towards the harbor. He was determined not to let anything else get in his way.

Elsa wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out against the dragon. The creature's onslaught of fire was unceasing, and it took all of Elsa's power to defend herself against it. Elsa had never attempted such a prolonged use of her powers, and she had discovered that it did take a toll on her. Though her powers didn't seem affected yet, she could feel that she was weakening. The continued use of her powers was exhausting her, and she knew eventually she wouldn't be able to go on.

Even through the protection provided by her powers, Elsa could feel the intensity of the dragon's flames. All of the snow on the ground around had melted away. Beads of moisture rolled down her face. Elsa assumed she was sweating from the heat, but she wasn't entirely sure because the steam created by the combination of her powers and the dragon's fire surrounded her and clung to her body. The thought occurred to her that it might not be her powers that were draining her. It could merely be the heat. In the end, she knew the cause didn't matter. The effect would be the same.

Elsa had realized too late that it had been a mistake to stand her ground against the dragon. She knew now that she should have kept moving and used her agility to her advantage. Now she couldn't move without letting down her defenses. She was trapped, and she didn't see a way out. Elsa knew there was nothing she could do. She had done everything she could. It just wasn't enough.

"I'm sorry, Papa," Elsa whispered, trying to hold back her tears. "I tried."

Lars and Sven raced through the streets of Lillehaven toward the harbor. Lars could see the dragon over the rooftops as it towered over the modest buildings of the village, the bright light from its flames bathing everything in an orange hue. Even from a distance, Lars could feel a hint of the heat.

Sven broke out into the openness of the shore and Lars got his first good look at the dragon. Despite its terrifying presence, Lars couldn't help but marvel in wonder for a moment before loading a bolt into his crossbow. Ever since he was a young boy, he had dreamed about heroically slaying a fire-breathing dragon, but he never really thought he would ever get the chance. Now, here he was, living out his fantasy, about to become the hero he always imagined he could be.

As Sven charged forward, Lars carefully aimed his crossbow. He had a clear shot at the dragon's head. It almost seemed too easy. Lars held his breath, waiting as Sven closed to optimum range. Finally, Lars fired and anxiously watched the bolt sail through the air. His aim was true. The bolt solidly struck the dragon in the temple... and harmlessly bounced off its scaly skin.

Though not hurt by the attack, the dragon was surprised enough to pause its fiery assault on Elsa to investigate. No longer fighting against the dragon's fire, Elsa staggered forward. She didn't know why the dragon stopped but she was grateful for the reprieve. Then the crossbow bolt suddenly landed at her feet, and Elsa instantly knew what had happened. She frantically looked around, desperately hoping she was wrong. Her heart sank as she spotted Lars.

The dragon had also spotted Lars. He shuddered as the unharmed dragon turned and focused its fiery orange eyes on him. Suddenly filled with dread, Lars uttered aloud the only thought in his mind.

"Uh-oh!"


	27. Chapter 27

Lars was still in a state of shock, stunned by the realization that his crossbow was ineffective against the dragon. As Sven continued on course carrying Lars forward, the dragon suddenly spit a ball of fire at them, which the reindeer narrowly managed to dodge. The impact of the flaming projectile left a large crater in the snow behind them.

The near miss shook Lars from his stupor as the dragon took a step in his direction. Lars realized the dragon was now coming after him, and if that was the case, he had a chance to lure it away. Leading the dragon toward the village where it could do more damage and hurt more people was out of the question, so Lars took the only other option and steered Sven in the opposite direction: out onto the ice of the frozen harbor.

As the dragon turned away to begin pursuing Lars, it deliberately whacked the unsuspecting Elsa with its long tail, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying back towards the village. Elsa came down roughly and tumbled through the snow, the deep powder cushioning her from a landing that otherwise would have left her seriously injured at best. Dazed and dizzy, Elsa drug herself out from under the snow, gasping to catch her breath.

Elsa looked up to see the dragon beginning to pursue Lars and Sven out onto the frozen fjord. She knew Lars was no match for the dragon, and she wasn't willing to let anyone else get hurt. She staggered to her feet with a renewed determination and ran towards the frozen harbor. As she stepped from the snow-covered ground to the ice without slowing down or breaking her stride, skates of ice materialized on the bottom of her boots, allowing her to transition seamlessly from running to skating. A frigid gust of wind suddenly came up at her back and quickly accelerated her forward toward the dragon.

With the help of her powers, Elsa was incredibly fast on the ice. She quickly caught up to the dragon, though she still had no idea how to stop it. Unaware of Elsa's presence, the dragon was still focused on its pursuit of Lars and Sven, gaining on them with every step as the ice cracked beneath the beast's enormous feet. The dragon took a deep breath, and Elsa realized that it was about to spit another fireball at the defenseless Lars and Sven. Mustering her powers, Elsa launched herself between the dragon and its quarry and, without stopping, produced a giant ball of ice just in time to counter the dragon's fire. The fireball collided with the ice in an explosion of water droplets that momentarily stunned the dragon.

As the shower of water droplets rained down upon him and Sven, Lars looked back into the mist and was surprised to see Elsa skating away from the dragon. She quickly came up alongside them.

"What are you doing?" Elsa shouted.

"Helping?" Lars offered.

"Are you sure?" Elsa replied. "You're supposed to get Anna to safety!"

"Only if something happens to you," Lars pointed out. "We're not there yet!"

"What if something happens to _you_?" Elsa asked.

"Don't worry," Lars replied. "I've got everything under control."

At that moment, the dragon recovered and spit another ball of fire in their direction. Sven and Lars dodged in one direction and Elsa dodged in the other. The fireball crashed into the frozen surface, leaving behind a gaping hole in the ice that the dragon effortlessly leaped over. Elsa skated back alongside Lars and Sven.

"See?" Lars said unconvincingly.

Even though Arendelle's army was already being outmatched by his own soldiers, Anton was anxious to join the battle himself, and was annoyed to find his way blocked yet again. Princess Anna's new ice-harvesting husband stood with his stolen sword at the ready, but Anton could sense uncertainty in the man's face.

"You again!" Anton said as he raised his sword. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Without leaving time for a response, Anton charged toward Kristoff. Channeling his frustration, Anton swung his sword with all his might. Kristoff blocked Anton's attack, but the force of the blow pushed him back. Anton attacked again and Kristoff again blocked, but Anton didn't have the momentum he had before and Kristoff was able to hold his ground. Their swords locked together as they struggled against each other.

Suddenly, a small snowman seemingly came out of nowhere and leapt at Anton. Olaf had retrieved his arms and grabbed onto the hand in which Anton held his sword.

"Gotcha!" Olaf exclaimed.

"Let go!" Anton hissed.

"Nuh-uh!" Olaf replied, shaking his head.

Anton tried to shake the snowman off, but Olaf clutched tightly to Anton's arm. The distraction gave Kristoff an opportunity to break away and attack Anton. Even with Olaf's extra weight on his arm, Anton was still able to block Kristoff's attack. Undeterred, Kristoff attacked again, but Anton still easily defended himself even while struggling with the snowman.

In a more typical battle, Anton would have noticed if someone tried to sneak up on him and attack him from behind, but this was no ordinary battle, and Kristoff and Olaf were keeping Anton so distracted that he was unaware that Anna was behind him. Anna had lost her stolen sword in the snow, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She charged toward the unsuspecting Anton and jumped onto his back.

Anton was momentarily confused as the sudden extra weight on his back took him by surprise, but as he felt Anna try to clamber up onto his shoulders, he realized she was going to try to take the helmet. Just as Anna tried to snatch the helmet off his head, Anton reached up with his free hand, grabbed onto the top of the helmet and held it tight against his scalp.

As Kristoff continued to attack, Olaf tried to pry Anton's fingers from the hilt of his sword to loosen his grip. Kristoff attacked again, almost knocking Anton's sword out of his hand. Angered, Anton attempted to advance on Kristoff, but the extra weight of Anna and Olaf made moving through the snow more difficult, and their struggling affected Anton's balance.

Anton tried to attack Kristoff, but as he stepped forward, he stumbled in the snow. Kristoff swung his own sword in defense of the attack, knocking Anton's sword out of his Olaf-loosened grip and sending it flying into the air. Anton lost his footing in the snow and fell forward. Kristoff turned to get out of the way but wasn't fast enough and Anton crashed into him, taking him down. Anna was still hanging onto Anton's back and ended up on top of both of them, while Olaf held tight to Anton's arm. Kristoff lost his grip on his own sword as he hit the ground, and it landed just out of reach; with the combined weight of Anton and Anna on top of him, Kristoff struggled in vain to reach it.

Out of reach ahead of them, the four dazed combatants saw Anton's sword land in the snow. The sword came down blade first, sticking in the snow with its hilt sticking up at an angle. A pair of scuffed black boots stepped up to the sword, and the four all looked up in unison to see who the boots belonged to.

It was Hans.


	28. Chapter 28

Hans looked down at Anton's sword, sticking up in the snow at his feet. He knew what was expected of him. He knew he was supposed to defend his brother. And, yet, Hans hesitated. He was conflicted about what he should do.

Hans looked up at the battle that raged around them. It wasn't what he wanted. While he was capable in combat, Hans had never sought it out. He didn't even want to be there. His previous failure to usurp the throne of Arendelle had ended in his humiliation, and he'd had no intention of ever coming back. Anton didn't give him a choice. Hans had been forced into this battle, but he didn't really care about the outcome. He knew the result wouldn't improve his own situation. Even if Anton succeeded, Hans knew he would just be sent back home to continue his sentence of hard labor, and if Arendelle was victorious, Hans shuddered at the thought of what punishment he would suffer at Queen Elsa's hands.

"Brother!" Anton called out, reaching toward him. "My sword!"

Hans looked back at Anton and realized that, after all the years of disdain and cruelty his brother had inflicted upon him, Anton's fate was now in his hands. For the first time, Anton needed Hans, and for the first time, Hans was actually in a position to choose whether or not to help him. Hans had never had that kind of power over Anton before.

Hans grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of the snow. He knew that no matter what he did, Anton would never treat him any better. Now that he had the chance, Hans desperately wanted to repay Anton for all his callousness, but he feared the repercussions of turning against his vindictive brother.

Hans looked up and saw a look of desperate hope in Anna's eyes. He had caught a brief glimpse of the same look before when she begged him to stand up to Anton from behind the bars of the _Valkyrie_ 's brig. It reminded him of the way she had looked at him when they first met, before he had revealed his true intentions to her, as if she still believed he had the potential to be the good person she once thought he was. As he considered whether she might be right, he looked around at the battle again. It all seemed so pointless. There was nothing in it for him, and he was, after all, an opportunist who recognized the potential for, if not forgiveness, at least leniency. He had no love of Arendelle, but he didn't want remain a mere pawn in his brother's scheme anymore.

"No..." Hans muttered.

"What?" Anton hissed angrily.

"I said 'No!' Anton," Hans repeated defiantly, staring down into his brother's eyes. "This has gone too far."

"How dare you..." Anton growled.

With Anton distracted by his brother's treachery, Anna took the opportunity to quickly snatch the helmet from his head.

"Ha!" Anna shouted, leaping with excitement. "I got it!"

Kristoff pushed Anton off of him and scrambled for his stolen sword as he got to his feet. Anton attempted to lunge at the jubilant Anna but was blocked by the point of his own sword in his brother's hand.

"Stop, Anton," Hans said. "It's over."

"We did it!" Anna exclaimed. "We've got the helmet!"

All of a sudden, Anton inexplicably broke out into laughter. The others looked at him in confusion.

"What are you laughing about?" Hans asked.

"You think you've won, but you haven't!" Anton replied. "Don't you see? The helmet doesn't matter anymore."

"But you said the dragon has to obey whoever has the helmet," Anna said.

"Yes," Anton said, "but you can't command the dragon if it's too far away to hear your orders."

"I think he's right," Hans admitted after a moment. "Anton always had to speak directly to the dragon."

Anna and Kristoff turned to look toward the harbor and saw Elsa and Lars battling the dragon in the distance, far across the ice.

"You'll never get there in time to save her," Anton said, "and your soldiers are no match for mine."

Anna and Kristoff looked at each other, facing the possibility that Anton was right and that his victory was inevitable. Suddenly, the ground started to tremble. As the rumbling sound steadily increased, the group began to look around in search of the source, and it soon became apparent to each of them to look up to the ridge above the village. A cascade of round moss-covered boulders thundered over the ridge and down the snow-covered slope onto the battlefield.

Soldiers on both sides tried to scatter as the large rolling rocks careened toward them, but astonishingly, the boulders seemed to follow only the soldiers from the Southern Isles. As the stones closed in on their targets, they unfurled to reveal their true nature as trolls and pounced on the invaders. As they realized what was happening, the Southern Isles soldiers tried to fight back. Though the trolls were unarmed, they were still made of rock and were impervious to swords and arrows, making the soldiers' efforts futile.

From the top of the rise, Grand Pabbie looked down on the battle. When the two young trolls who had stowed away in the sled had reported what had happened to Kristoff and Anna, he hadn't hesitated to organize a rescue mission. Though normally reclusive and peaceful, the trolls could prove formidable when one of their own was threatened.

"Troll out!" Grand Pabbie ordered, sending another wave of trolls pouring down into battle.

Invigorated by the arrival of the new allies, Arendelle's forces quickly rallied back to the offensive. With the assistance of the trolls, the enemy soldiers were easily disarmed and captured. Anton looked on in disbelief as the tide of the battle quickly turned against him.

Heartened by the turn the battle had taken, Anna and Kristoff turned their attention back to the action on the frozen fjord. They could barely make out just what was happening as Elsa and Lars evaded the dragon's attacks. Between them lay a vast expanse of perilous ice, left shattered by the weight of the dragon. Even to an experienced ice harvester like Kristoff, the mere thought of attempting to make the dangerous crossing was intimidating.

"What about Elsa?" Anna asked. She glanced down at the enchanted helmet she held in her hands, then up at Kristoff. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"We'll never make it," Kristoff replied. "It's all up to her now."

Elsa narrowly dodged one of the dragon's fireballs, and responded by sending a barrage of icicles flying at the dragon's face. Though uninjured, the dragon flinched as the sharp projectiles hit their target and disintegrated. The dragon was about to spit another ball of fire at Elsa, when it was struck by a crossbow bolt from the other direction. The dragon turned to see Lars and Sven and sent its flames their way. With a quick change of direction, Sven evaded the assault as the fireball left a crater in the ice behind them.

Elsa and Lars had settled into a strategy of alternating their attacks and covering each other to keep the dragon from focusing its attention on either of them for very long. As they varied their timing to avoid creating a pattern the dragon could anticipate, they were also leading the dragon farther and farther from the shore. They hadn't actually been able to injure the dragon, though, and they still had no clue how to stop it.

Even though his crossbow bolts hadn't been able to injure the dragon, Lars hadn't given up on the possibility that it might still have a weak spot. As Elsa distracted the dragon with another icy attack, Lars turned Sven around and charged straight toward it. Lars loaded another bolt into his crossbow. He knew the dragon's head wasn't susceptible to his weapons, but he hoped that, as with most animals, the dragon's underbelly would be vulnerable. He just had to get a clear shot.

The dragon saw Lars and Sven approaching and spit a fireball in their direction. Sven sprinted forward with a surge of speed. Lars ducked, feeling the heat from the fiery projectile as it narrowly sailed over his head and crashed into the ice behind them. Elsa distracted the dragon with a volley of snowballs, giving Lars and Sven an opening to race between its giant legs. Now beneath the dragon, Lars fired his crossbow straight up at its underbelly, but the bolt bounced off harmlessly, its only effect being to alert the dragon to his and Sven's presence. The dragon began trying to stomp on them with its massive feet, the ice cracking under its weight as Sven deftly maneuvered around the dragon's legs to relative safety.

As Elsa drew the dragon's attention with more frozen projectiles, Lars and Sven circled around for another attempt. Forsaking the ineffective crossbow, Lars drew his sword. As Sven charged up alongside the dragon, Lars swung his sword at one of its huge legs. Lars was nearly knocked from Sven's back as the sword recoiled against the dragon's scales as if Lars had attacked solid rock. As Sven veered away, the dragon spit a fireball at them. As Sven dodged the projectile, Elsa launched a ball of ice at the dragon, momentarily dazing it.

As Elsa skated alongside Sven, Lars came to a realization.

"Weapons can't hurt it," Lars shouted to Elsa. "You'll have to use your powers to stop it."

"I can't!" Elsa replied.

Lars could tell Elsa had been holding back, and while he was sure she had her reasons, they were running out of options.

"You might be the only one who can," Lars said. He looked ahead to see that the sheet of ice was getting thinner and that the open water beyond wasn't that far away. "And we're about to run out of ice!"

Elsa realized that they were getting close to the edge of the ice she had created when she froze the harbor, and while she could always make more ice, she recognized that wouldn't really be a solution. She did have an idea about how to stop the dragon, but it wasn't an idea she liked. Elsa was still haunted by the memory of the night she accidently struck Anna with her powers. She couldn't stand the thought of intentionally doing that to another living thing. And, yet, Elsa knew the damage the dragon could do if she didn't stop it. She couldn't let it hurt anyone else. She knew she had to stop it. Anna had recovered, so the dragon could too, Elsa rationalized, and no one else would have to get hurt.

The dragon shook off the effects of Elsa's last strike and resumed its pursuit. Lars and Elsa went off in different directions, and the dragon followed Elsa as she was the last to attack it. As Elsa raced to stay ahead of the dragon, Lars and Sven came back around and Lars fired his crossbow at it to get its attention. As Lars expected, the dragon came after him, but Lars realized he had a new problem. He knew he was close to the edge of Elsa's ice, but he only now noticed that the thinner ice was breaking and cracking more under the dragon's weight, and now he and Sven had only one clear path, and it would lead them to the end of the rapidly thinning ice and the frigid open water beyond.

Watching Lars and Sven flee the dragon, Elsa came to the same realization Lars had. With an icy wind at her back, she skated after the dragon, hoping to stop it in time. As she caught up to the dragon, she had to jump over ever-increasing chasms left in the thin crackling ice in the creature's wake.

Lars looked back over his shoulder and saw the dragon closing in. Hoping to temporarily stun the dragon to put some distance between them, Lars loaded another bolt into his crossbow and fired. The bolt struck the dragon square in the nose, and while it didn't harm the dragon, it did startle it enough for it to break its stride.

The dragon's moment of hesitation allowed Elsa to pass alongside it. With every step the dragon took, the ice shuddered and split, and Elsa had to act quickly to avoid being tripped up by one of the many uneven cracks that suddenly appeared in her path. She looked ahead and saw how close they were to open water. She knew she had to act quickly before the dragon noticed her.

The ice was getting thin enough to begin to crack under Sven's weight, and the reindeer was beginning to have trouble keeping its footing. Lars looked over his shoulder again. The dragon was taking a deep breath, as it if was preparing to spit another fireball. Even if they managed to dodge the fiery projectile, Lars doubted he and Sven could successfully avoid the huge crater it would leave in the thin ice. Desperate to delay the dragon's attack, Lars scrambled to load another bolt into his crossbow as he watched the dragon and realized he wouldn't be fast enough.

Elsa recognized the predicament Lars and Sven were in and knew had to do something. Bracing herself, she launched herself ahead of the dragon with a gust of brisk winter wind. She could tell the dragon was about to unleash another fiery onslaught as Lars still struggled with his crossbow. Elsa took one last deep breath and jumped up, spinning around in midair to face the dragon. As the blades of her skates touched back down on the ice, Elsa stretched out her hand and released a pure blast of icy magic directly at the dragon's head. The full force of Elsa's undiluted power struck the dragon in the face.

Elsa's powers struck the dragon as it was in midstride. The dragon lost consciousness instantly and abruptly crashed down onto the thin ice, which gave way beneath it. The resulting shock wave shattered the surrounding ice and violently heaved the broken sheets skyward at sharp angles. Elsa found herself flying up in the air and barely had enough time to create a pile of fresh powder to land in before falling to the bobbing ice beneath her.

Lars was thrown from Sven's back and was sent hurtling forward toward the open water. Elsa looked up from her rough landing in the snow just in time to watch helplessly as Lars fell and smashed through the thin ice into the frigid water.

"No!" Elsa screamed in horror. "No, no, no, no, no..." she continued as she scrambled out of the pile of snow and made a beeline for the spot where Lars fall through the ice, leaping across the ice floes without taking her eyes off the crater in the ice for even a second.

Though Elsa managed to cross the fractured ice faster than anyone would have dreamed possible, it still seemed to her like an eternity. As she reached the spot, she fell to her knees praying that she had gotten there in time to reach Lars and pull him out of the water, but instead she peered down through the hole in the ice only to see his face disappear as he sank into the dark water.

"No..." Elsa whispered as tears welled up in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks.

Elsa sat there, frozen, crouched over the gaping hole in the ice. She so desperately wanted to save Lars that she had to fight the instinct to dive into the water after him. Despite the way she felt, she knew that would be a futile gesture.

Elsa didn't know how to swim.


	29. Chapter 29

Elsa waited, staring through the hole in the ice into the blackness of the water, wishing for some inexplicable miracle to somehow deliver Lars safely back to her. Deep down, she knew that wouldn't happen. It was the kind of thing that would only happen at the end of an old storybook, and Elsa was all too aware that her life wasn't a fairy tale.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the dragon. Not Arendelle. Even the thought that she had successfully rescued her sister eluded her. All she could think about was the loss, and how, in a cruel twist of fate, it had been completely meaningless. Lars hadn't gone down in a great heroic sacrifice. The battle was already over. They had won. It was merely a tragic accident.

Suddenly, Elsa came to the horrific realization that it was all her fault. She'd had plenty of time to use the full strength of her powers directly against the dragon. It was her own hesitation that had doomed Lars. If only she hadn't resisted using her powers until the last second, things would be different. Now, she faced the thought of living the rest of her life knowing the cost of her mistake.

Facing a lifetime of guilt, Elsa couldn't bring herself to accept that Lars was gone. She couldn't simply give up. She knew she had to do something. She was the only person who _could_ do something. She had to try to save Lars. Elsa knew her inability to swim meant that if she jumped into the water to try and save Lars she would only end up drowning herself as well. She did have another idea. She knew it was a crazy idea, but somehow she was sure she could do it. She just had to trust in her powers, and hope she wasn't too late.

Elsa stood up. She backed away from the hole in the ice to the edge of the ice floe. Determined, she took a deep breath and sprinted forward towards the hole, and as she approached it she jumped as high as she could into the air. As she came back down directly over the hole, she pointed her feet down and spread her arms out and up over her head. As her feet broke the surface of the water, it instantly froze and shattered around her. As gravity pulled her downward like a wedge, Elsa froze the water around her into a hollow tapered cylinder, like a giant icicle expanding down through the water with her inside.

Elsa's powers plunged her downward faster than Lars was sinking, and she searched carefully for any sign of him. Finally she spotted him in the darkness. His motionless form seemed to be suspended in the water as she approached. Elsa reached down into the water and grabbed his limp hand, pulling his body to her a mere split-second before the wall of ice would have separated them. A flat floor of ice formed beneath them, stopping their descent, and Elsa collapsed to her knees.

"No, Lars! Please!" Elsa begged, desperately cradling his cold, lifeless body. Her hands caressed his face. "Please, no! Please wake up! Please be all right! I need you to be all right!"

Elsa had been so preoccupied with rescuing her sister and defending Arendelle and battling the dragon that she hadn't had a chance to process her feelings for Lars, but now, faced with the prospect of losing him forever, she knew how she felt. If this was to be their last moment together, she knew she had to tell him. She didn't know if Lars would be able to hear her. She wasn't even sure he was still alive. She felt compelled to say the words out loud, just the same. She pulled his body to her and held him tight.

"I... I love you," she whispered.

Elsa waited with bated breath for a response. When no response came, Elsa's heart broke. Overcome with despair, she completely broke down into tears. In the frozen cavern deep below the surface of the harbor, the only sound was that of Elsa's sobs echoing off the icy walls. The rest of the world seemed hopelessly out of reach, and Elsa felt more alone than she ever had before.

All of a sudden, Lars coughed, and Elsa looked up anxiously with renewed hope. Every second that passed seemed like an eternity. Lars coughed again, expelling some seawater, and gasped. As his breathing resumed, Lars opened his eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see Elsa's relieved face looking back at him.

"I'm alive?" Lars asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Elsa replied with a smile.

"You saved me?" Lars asked.

"I did!" Elsa said.

Elsa took his hands to help as Lars slowly sat up without breaking eye contact with her. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes. They slowly began to lean in toward each other, but the mood was suddenly broken by the sound of a loud crack. Startled, they nervously looked around as more crackling sounds came from all around them. They noticed that the walls of ice were beginning to fracture around them. Elsa was perplexed for a moment but then realized what was happening.

"Love will thaw..." Elsa muttered to herself in a barely-audible whisper.

"Wait, what?" Lars asked.

Before either of them could say anything else, water began to pour down the walls as the cracks widened. The edges of the icy floor abruptly broke away from the walls and the pressure of the water underneath thrust it upward with Lars and Elsa on top of it. As they were launched toward the surface, Lars clung tightly to Elsa as she stretched out her hands and used her powers to keep the crumbling walls from collapsing down on top of them.

Lars and Elsa shot to the surface and were carried back toward shore by the resulting wave aboard their tiny piece of ice. The rest of the ice in the harbor had broken up and was quickly melting, and the other signs of winter were quickly evaporating with the summer temperature restored by Elsa's improved spirits. By the time their small frozen raft reached the shore, nearly all of the other ice had melted. The ice floe crashed into the shore, knocking Elsa and Lars off their feet and sending them tumbling forward into the sand. They came to rest with Lars on his back and Elsa face down on top of him. They looked at each other and smiled nervously, lost in each other's eyes, until another voice broke through the silence.

"Elsa!" Anna called out.


	30. Chapter 30

"Elsa!" Anna called out again.

Elsa and Lars scrambled to their feet, both suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. They barely had time to compose themselves before Anna ran into view, still carrying Anton's antique helmet. Spotting her sister, Anna sprinted to her and nearly knocked Elsa over as they met in a warm hug.

"Elsa, are you alright?" Anna asked.

"I'm fine, Anna," Elsa replied.

"Good," Anna said with relief. "I love you, Elsa."

"I love you, too, Anna."

Meanwhile, Sven had nearly made it back to shore on his own when the ice had started to break up. Fortunately, he knew how to swim and was now crawling out of the water onto the beach, weighed down by his saturated fur. Kristoff saw him and ran to him.

"Sven!" Kristoff shouted. He embraced his beloved reindeer, despite the dampness of Sven's fur. "I missed you, Buddy!"

"Aw, I missed you, too, Kristoff," Kristoff replied in Sven's voice.

As a crowd of villagers, soldiers and trolls began to gather around them on the beach, Elsa and Anna broke off their embrace. Anna seemingly noticed Lars for the first time.

"Hello," Anna said to Lars, eyeing him suspiciously. "I think I remember seeing you at the wedding ball, but I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, of course, Anna," Elsa interrupted. "Allow me to introduce Sir Lars Magnusson of Weselton."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anna said out of habit before Elsa's introduction had fully registered. When Elsa's words finally sank in, Anna reacted with surprise. "Weselton? Wait, what?"

"It's a long story, Anna," Elsa replied.

A moss-covered boulder rolled out from among the crowd and unfurled to reveal itself as a troll elder.

"Queen Elsa, it is good to see you again," said Grand Pabbie.

"Grand Pabbie," Elsa said, "I am very grateful for all your help, but I must admit I did not expect to see you here. I didn't think trolls ever interfered in human conflicts."

"Indeed, it is true that we generally do not seek out such involvement," Grand Pabbie admitted, "but when we learned that Kristoff was in trouble, we had to do something. Kristoff is family, and now that he is married to your sister, so are you."

"Thank you," Elsa said, clearly touched.

The crowd suddenly parted as Hans came forward with Anton in custody. Elsa instantly took a defensive stance, unsure of what was about to happen and unwilling to be caught off guard. Still, she stood frozen in stunned silence as Hans roughly shoved his brother to the ground at her feet, then knelt himself.

"Elsa, it's okay," Anna said in response to her sister's quizzical expression. "Hans... actually helped us."

"Your Majesty," Hans began, "my brother acted without the knowledge or approval of our kingdom. He forced me to help him, but I couldn't go along with it anymore. I'm sorry I didn't stand up to him sooner."

"Anna?" Elsa asked, unsure of how to proceed.

"I'm sure he had his own self-serving reasons," Anna said, as surprised as anyone to hear herself defending Hans, "but I don't think we could have done it without him."

As Elsa considered the situation, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud low groaning sound that drew everyone's attention, and they turned to see the source. The waves had washed onto the shore the massive body of the dragon, unconscious but still alive. Elsa worried that the dragon might wake up and resume its attack.

"When the dragon wakes, it _will_ kill you," Anton said with a satisfied smile. "You can't stop it."

"Everyone, stay back," Elsa warned.

"Elsa, wait," Anna said. She held up the ancient helmet. "The dragon is cursed to obey whoever has this helmet. That's how Anton was able to control it."

"A curse?" Elsa muttered, remembering the night long ago when Grand Pabbie had asked if her own powers were the result of a curse. "Grand Pabbie, is there anything you can do?"

The elderly troll slowly hobbled up to the dragon. He reached out and touched the creature's scaly head. He closed his eyes as if deep in thought.

"This is powerful magic," Grand Pabbie said. "I can remove the dragon's memories, and with them every order it has ever been given, but the curse itself will remain, and anyone who wears the helmet will be able to command it."

"I understand," Elsa said. "Go ahead."

With a wave of his hand, Grand Pabbie wiped all of the commands from the dragon's memory. As the troll let go of the dragon and started walking away, it began to stir. As the others looked on nervously, Elsa remained strangely calm. Elsa was now confident enough in her powers to know she could stop the dragon if it did try to attack again, but she wasn't thinking about that. She didn't want to have to hurt the dragon again, and somehow she had a feeling she wouldn't have to.

"Anna, give me the helmet," Elsa said.

"What are you going to do?" Anton asked as Anna handed the helmet over.

"I'm going to let it go," Elsa replied.

"You can't do that!" Anton shouted angrily. "If you release it, that monster will destroy us all!"

"It's not a monster," Elsa said to Anton. "That's just all anyone like you can see in it."

As the dragon awoke and rose up to its full height, Elsa walked toward it, carrying the enchanted helmet in her hands. As she looked up at the dragon, it noticed her and looked down at her with curiosity. The dragon bent its long neck down to more closely examine her. Elsa stopped and held out the helmet, and their eyes met.

"Go in peace and be free," Elsa said to the dragon. "I release you."

Elsa knelt down and gently placed the helmet on the ground in front of the dragon. She stood and looked up at the dragon once again before backing away. The dragon watched her suspiciously until she had rejoined the others. The dragon looked down at the helmet. It simply stared blankly at the helmet for what seemed like an eternity. Then, all of a sudden, the dragon took a deep breath and released a cascade of flames down upon the helmet, reducing it to a fine ashy dust that quickly disappeared on the wind.

The dragon looked back at Elsa again as if to thank her for freeing it. Elsa smiled, knowing that the dragon's true nature was peaceful and gentle. The dragon turned toward the harbor and dove into the water with a mighty leap and began swimming. Anna took Elsa's hand and allowed her sister to pull her close as they watched the dragon swim away toward the horizon.


	31. Chapter 31

The _Valkyrie_ sat tied to the dock in the Arendelle harbor under the warm sun of the restored summer. The ship's towering masts challenged the castle's spires for dominance over the city's skyline. The six frigates were anchored in the harbor, their sails furled and their decks empty.

Queen Elsa had seized the frigates as reparations for the damage Anton's forces had done to Lillehaven, along with all the weapons from the _Valkyrie_. She had learned the hard way that Arendelle's defenses were lacking; the six ships would help bring the fleet up to date. Elsa had considered keeping the _Valkyrie_ itself as well, but Arendelle had no use for such a massive, purpose-built ship, and Elsa felt a hint of satisfaction from the idea of Prince Anton's flagship returning home in disgrace.

Elsa did find the _Valkyrie_ 's size to be convenient for one thing, though. It was large enough to carry all of Anton's men back to the Southern Isles. While Elsa would have been within her rights to keep them all imprisoned, Arendelle simply lacked the prison space to hold them all. The castle dungeons were too small to hold more than a few, and Elsa didn't like the idea of having so many prisoners anyway.

Elsa had even decided to return Prince Anton to the Southern Isles and allow his own family to punish him. Despite Anton's actions, Elsa still had hopes of establishing a positive relationship with the Southern Isles, and she wasn't about to risk that possibility just to impose her own punishment on Anton. Elsa was confident he would face severe consequences when he returned home, and his imprisonment in the brig of his own ship seemed like a good start.

Now, back in her regular blue dress, Elsa found herself on the dock at the foot of the _Valkyrie_ 's gangplank, facing another prince from the Southern Isles who had once tried to kill her. In recognition of his assistance in stopping his brother, Elsa had allowed Hans to remain free. He would command the _Valkyrie_ on its voyage back to the Southern Isles, escorted by one of Arendelle's own ships, of course. Hans carried his brother's sword, which Elsa had allowed him to retain as she thought it would help him maintain authority over his brother's men. It would be the only weapon on the _Valkyrie_. Elsa had confiscated all the others.

"With Anna's help, I have written a complete account of Anton's attack on Arendelle for your king," Elsa said as she handed to Hans one of three envelopes she was carrying. "You are welcome to read it, if you wish. I believe you will find it fair and unbiased."

"I'm sure it is, Your Majesty. Thank you." Hans replied.

"I have noted your assistance to Arendelle," Elsa added. "Perhaps it will be a first step towards redemption in your family's eyes."

"I hope so," Hans said. "I do truly appreciate you allowing me to return my brother and his men to the Southern Isles myself."

"I am only doing so because I believe Anton's men will respect your authority," Elsa said. "The only alternative would be to send you all home in chains."

"I understand," Hans said, "but, still, it is very gracious of you."

"Do not mistake my generosity for forgiveness," Elsa said sternly. "I don't want to see you or your brother in Arendelle ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans replied.

"Then I wish you a safe journey home," Elsa said. "Goodbye, Prince Hans."

"Farewell, Queen Elsa," Hans said with a bow before ascending the gangplank to the deck of the _Valkyrie_.

Elsa took a deep breath and turned to face another ship docked opposite the Valkyrie. It was also preparing to sail, but it was a departure Elsa wasn't looking forward to. Elsa had chartered it to take Lars home to Weselton.

Lars and Elsa were both privately dreading the moment they knew was coming. They were each aware of their own feelings, but neither of them knew how the other felt. Even though they each thought they had seen subtle signs of reciprocation from the other in Lillehaven, now they weren't sure they hadn't simply imagined what they wanted to see. They were both so afraid of what the truth might be that neither of them could bring themselves to take the chance and admit their love to the other. As the moment of their inevitable parting grew closer, they each desperately hoped that the other would speak the words that they were too scared to say.

Lars spotted Elsa from the deck of the ship and quickly scrambled down the gangplank to meet her. He was excited to see her. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her he loved her and passionately kiss her. He had to remind himself to resist that urge; she was the queen, after all, and if such an advance wasn't welcome, the consequences would be severe. When he reached her, neither of them spoke for a moment. There was so much they each wanted to say, but were too afraid to. They didn't know where to start. They stood staring at each other, lost in the awkward silence, before Lars finally found his voice.

"Your Majesty," Lars began, opting for proper formality, "thank you again for arranging for this ship to take me back to Weselton. It really wasn't necessary."

"Sir Lars, after what you risked for me... for Arendelle... it was the least I could do," Elsa replied. She offered Lars one of the remaining envelopes she was carrying. "In fact, it isn't nearly enough, so I've prepared this for you to take back with you to Weselton."

"What is it?" Lars asked, cautiously taking the envelope.

"It's a new agreement to reopen trade between Arendelle and Weselton," Elsa replied. "The terms aren't as generous as they were before, but I'm sure the duke will find them acceptable."

"Thank you," Lars said. "This will mean a lot to the people of Weselton."

"I have something else for you as well," Elsa said, handing Lars the last envelope. "In appreciation of your heroism on behalf of Arendelle, I've asked the duke to name you Weselton's official representative in all dealings with Arendelle."

Lars looked at Elsa in stunned silence. He was speechless, as it was a gesture he hadn't anticipated, and he wasn't quite sure if it was merely a symbol of professional trust, or an indication of her personal feelings. His hesitation as he tried to make that determination made Elsa nervous.

"It would be up to you to accept, of course." Elsa quickly added.

"It would be an honor," Lars said. "I promise to come back with the duke's answer as soon as I can."

"It's agony to wait," Elsa replied, trying to make the comment seem facetious, disguising the fact that it accurately represented the sadness she felt about his impending departure.

Neither Lars nor Elsa wanted the moment to end, as neither of them knew how to say goodbye, especially with so much left unsaid, yet as they were each bound by obligations and responsibilities, neither of them could see any other alternative. They stared into each other's eyes, unwilling to look away. Finally, the moment was broken as Lars heard the ship's captain call out his name.

"Well, it seems I have to go," Lars said reluctantly. "It has truly been a pleasure, Queen Elsa. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Farewell, Sir Lars," Elsa said, trying as hard as she could to hold back her tears.

Lars bowed, then turned to begin ascending the gangplank. Elsa turned away and started walking back up the dock. Lars paused partway up the gangplank and looked back to see Elsa walking away. He watched her for a moment, hoping she would turn around, but when she didn't he continued up to the ship. Almost as soon as Lars had turned away, Elsa stopped and looked back over her shoulder. She watched him reach the deck of the ship and disappear from view before continuing on her way.

From the stone wall on the edge of the town square overlooking the harbor, Anna and Kristoff were watching. They hadn't meant to be voyeurs; they had merely been taking a relaxing stroll through the town when they paused to take in the view and noticed Elsa and Lars down on the dock below. Anna had watched curiously as Elsa and Lars spoke. Though she was too far away to hear any of their words, Anna thought she was seeing something in her sister that she had never seen before, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.

When Elsa and Lars parted, Anna could see the heartbreak in Elsa's eyes while Kristoff sensed in Lars a feeling of regretful resignation that he knew all too well. Suddenly, Anna and Kristoff had a simultaneous moment of realization. Finally comprehending what they had just witnessed, they turned to each other and exchanged knowing glances.


	32. Chapter 32

Elsa sat at her desk in her study, staring blankly at a piece of correspondence. She was trying in vain to resume progress on the paperwork that had piled up, but her heart just wasn't in it. All she could do was think about how much she already missed Lars, and how much she regretted not admitting her feelings when she had the chance. She wouldn't hesitate to tell him now, if only she could. She knew the ship she had chartered to return Lars to Weselton should have already sailed.

Elsa turned to look out though the open bay window at the harbor. She hoped that perhaps the ship had been delayed and was still moored at the dock. To her dismay, she saw only empty docks in the harbor. Elsa sighed and gazed wistfully at the blue summer sky. She wasn't quite sure how much time passed before she decided she should try to work and turned back to her desk. Elsa looked down and tried to start reading again, but she still couldn't muster any more engagement than an vacant stare.

There was a knock at the door, and Elsa looked up. The door opened a crack, and Anna peeked in.

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Hi, Anna," Elsa replied despondently.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked as she entered the study.

"I'm fine," Elsa replied with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Elsa said, managing an insincere smile in an attempt to placate Anna. Elsa knew Anna meant well, but as much as she loved her sister, she just didn't feel like talking.

"So, anyway," Anna said, holding up a pair of ice skates, "I came to ask if you wanted to go ice skating in the courtyard."

"Don't you have a honeymoon to get back to?" Elsa asked Anna.

"Kristoff and I decided we'll leave in the morning," Anna replied. "Considering how the honeymoon has gone so far, we thought we could use a little break from it."

"Yeah..." Elsa said with just a hint of a genuine smirk before turning serious again. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Anna."

"It's okay, Elsa," Anna said. "None of it was your fault, and you came to our rescue, just like I always knew you would."

"I just wish you could have had the honeymoon you deserve," Elsa said, "free of any, you know, life-threatening peril."

"Yeah, I guess, but you have to admit, it will be a great story to tell," Anna said. "So, do you want to go ice skating?"

"I don't know, Anna," Elsa said. "I don't really feel..."

"Oh, come on!" Anna interrupted. "It'll be fun! Trust me!"

"Anna..." Elsa sighed.

"Okay, listen," Anna said. "After all we've been through, I just wanted to do something with you. You know how persistent I can be. I'll just keep asking until you say yes."

"All right," Elsa relented with a sigh.

Anna immediately took Elsa's hand and pulled her to her feet. Before Elsa could even react, Anna had already hustled her away from the desk and out the study door into the corridor.

"Whoa, Anna! Slow down!" Elsa exclaimed as she tried to drag her feet. "What's your hurry?"

"Oh, I don't know," Anna replied. "I guess I'm just excited."

"Excited?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah," Anna said. "I'm excited to go skating with you."

"Right," Elsa said with skepticism.

Even though Elsa set a slower walking pace through the castle, Anna still pulled her by the hand, subtly trying to hurry her along. Elsa could tell something was going on. Anna was fidgeting with excitement. Elsa just didn't know why, but she knew it wasn't merely for skating. She and Anna skated in the courtyard often, but it usually wasn't Anna's suggestion, as she wasn't a strong skater and usually needed Elsa to encourage her.

As they made their way through the palace, Anna and Elsa crossed paths with Olaf, who was absent-mindedly wandering the corridors.

"Hi, Anna! Hi, Elsa!" said the cheerful snowman.

"Hi, Olaf," Anna and Elsa said in unison.

"What are you doing?" Olaf asked.

"Anna wants to go ice skating in the courtyard," Elsa replied.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" Olaf said excitedly. "I love ice skating. Can I come too?"

"Of course you can, Olaf," Elsa said.

"Yay!" Olaf shouted, running ahead of them.

"Olaf, slow down!" Anna called out. "Wait for us."

Anna picked up the pace, dragging Elsa along with her as she tried to catch the snowman. Elsa wondered why Anna was concerned about Olaf running to the courtyard ahead of them. They finally caught up to Olaf just as they reached the front doors of the palace.

"We're here," Anna said, seemingly stating the obvious for no reason. Elsa thought she seemed nervous for some reason.

"Yes, we are," Elsa agreed, perplexed by Anna's strange behavior.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Olaf asked as he opened the doors to the courtyard.

Elsa turned to look out at the courtyard and was taken by surprise by the sight that greeted her. Her face suddenly lit up with elation as her heart raced. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Lars!" Elsa exclaimed.

Elsa bounded out into the courtyard where Lars stood waiting alongside Kristoff and Sven and practically leapt into his open arms.

"You're still here!" Elsa exclaimed in ecstatic surprise.

"Anna and Kristoff convinced me not to go," Lars explained with a smile.

"We saw you on the dock, and we could tell how you felt about each other," Anna said. "We had to do something."

"Anna told me how heartbroken you looked after we said goodbye, and I felt the same way," Lars said. "I didn't want to leave. I love you."

"I love you, too," said Elsa.

Elsa and Lars looked deep into each other's eyes as they finally found themselves in the moment they had been dreaming about but had feared would never come. Elsa stretched her arms over his shoulders to pull Lars close. Lars reached out, his hand slightly trembling with anticipation as he gently touched Elsa's cheek. At long last, unable to wait a second longer, they pulled toward each other and closed their eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss. It was more than either of them had ever imagined as they each experienced new feelings of love they had never known before. When the kiss finally ended, Lars and Elsa opened their eyes and looked at each other, both smiling blissfully.

"I'm so happy you're staying," Elsa said, having a sudden realization, "but what about the trade agreement? I know how important that was to you."

"Anna assured me that the ship's captain could deliver it just as well as I could, so I wrote a letter to my uncle, telling him that I have tentatively accepted your terms on his behalf, as Weselton's new official representative to Arendelle."

"Can you do that?" Elsa asked.

"I actually have no idea," Lars replied, "but Anna pointed out that the Duke is really in no position to refuse."

"This is incredible," Elsa said. "Anna, I can't believe you did this."

"Actually," Anna said, "it was Kristoff's idea."

"Kristoff?" Elsa said, looking at the ice harvester in surprise. "You did this?"

"I once tried to deny the way I felt about Anna and I almost walked away because I was afraid she didn't feel the same way," Kristoff explained. "I couldn't let anyone else make the same mistake, especially not someone as important to me as you."

Tears of joy welled up in Elsa's eyes as she was overwhelmed with emotion. She ran to Kristoff and, for the first time ever, hugged him tightly. Kristoff embraced his sister-in-law, and began to fight back tears of his own as he realized he had finally made a connection with her. There was no longer any doubt that she had accepted him, and Kristoff finally felt like he was part of their family.

"Thank you," Elsa said, showing no sign of letting Kristoff go.

"Well, I'm always a fan of warm hugs, but weren't we going to go skating?" Olaf asked.

Elsa released Kristoff and turned to Olaf.

"Absolutely!" Elsa said, and with a wave of her hand she turned the courtyard into a skating rink.

"Yay!" Olaf shouted excitedly, leaping out onto the ice.

Kristoff picked up Anna, placing her on Sven's back as he relieved her of the skates she had been carrying.

"Allow me," Kristoff said, reaching for Anna's feet to replace her shoes with the skates.

"Oh, by all means," Anna said playfully.

As Anna, Kristoff and Sven took to the ice with Olaf, Elsa looked to Lars. With a sudden flourish in his direction, Elsa transformed his boots into ice skates.

"Now, let's see if you can skate!" Elsa said as she gleefully pulled Lars across the ice.

Lars promptly broke away from Elsa and skated in a circle around her.

"Actually, I _can_ skate," Lars said as he glided to a stop. He reached out to Elsa. "Shall we?"

Elsa took his hand and Lars pulled her close and surprised her with another welcome kiss. As she melted into his arms, Elsa couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

THE END

 _Thank you for reading! I hope the ending was satisfying. I also want to thank everyone who wrote reviews; I really do appreciate them. This story took a lot longer to write than I thought it would when I started, and I might not have been able to see it through without all the reviews, follows and favorites to keep me motivated. Thank you once again._


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